A PROTESTANT'S 

TO 

THE DOUAY BIBLE, 

ETC., ETC. 



A PROTESTANT'S 

APPEAL 



THE DOUAY BIBLE, 

AND 

®t\tx &t\Au Stated, 

IN SUPPORT OF 

THE DOCTRINES OF THE REFORMATION. 

BY THE 

REV. JOHN JENKINS. 



" Speaking the truth in love." — Paul. 



THIRD, EDITION. 



MONTREAL : 
WESLEY AN BOOK DEPOT, GREAT ST. JAMES STREET. 
1853. 




^ *7 % 2. (a 



MONTREAL ; 
. MILLER, ST. FRANCI3 XAVIER STREE 



CONTENTS. 



Pag* 

Dedication... « . . 7 

PREFACE 9 

The One Source of Religious Truth 13 

The One Head of the Catholic Church 49 

The One Object of Religious Adoration 83 

The One Sacrifice for Sin 129 

The One Mediator between God and Men 1*77 

The One Method of Justification 219 

The One Agent of Regeneration 263 

The Christian Sacraments 301 

Purgatory 345 

Protestantism 387 



& 



TO 

JOHN HANNAH, D. D„ 

TEACHER OF SACRED THEOLOGY, 
DISTINGUISHED 
NO LESS 

BY HIS CHRISTIAN VIRTUES, 

THAN 

BY HIS BIBLICAL LEARNING ; 

DELIVERED 
IN ILLUSTRATION AND DEFENCE 
OF THE DOCTRINES OF 

PROTESTANTISM, 

ARB 

GRATEFULLY AND AFFECTIONATELY 
INSCRIBED 
BY 

<B\xt of J)t£ dffo?t PttgtR 



t 



PREFACE, 



Protestants need instruction as to the 
Scriptural ground upon which rest the doctrines 
of the Reformation. 

Protestants are too ready to receive the 
unwarranted assertion made by the defenders 
of Romanism, that antiquity is altogether on 
the side of the Papacy. 

Protestants are not sufficiently aware that it 
is impossible to sustain the peculiar dogmas of 
of the Roman Catholic Church, by an appeal 
even to her own versions of the Bible. 

Protestants, moreover, entertain a too lenient 
view of the principles and practices of Roman 
Catholicism. 

Impressed with these facts, the author, in the 
course of the last Winter determined to present 
to the members of his Congregation, in a series 



X. PREFACE. 

of Lectures, a connected view of those doctrines 
of Protestantism which directly bear upon the 
errors of the Papal Church. He hoped also, 
that by making known his intention, some 
Roman Catholics might be induced to hear 
what a Protestant can say in defence of the 
principles of his Faith. 

The author was not disappointed in this 
hope. Hundreds of Roman Catholics heard 
these Lectures, and some few were convinced 
that Protestantism is The Old Religion. 
Many Protestants also were confirmed in that 
Faith for which their forefathers had laid down 
their lives. 

It is at the request of large numbers of the 
Protestant portion of his audience, which 
swelled, as the coarse proceeded, to four 
thousand persons, that the author has been 
induced to give these Lectures to the public. 

In preparing for the press, he has strictly 
adhered to the forms of expression which were 
employed in the pulpit. The reader, therefore, 



PKEFACE. XI. 

will not look for that precision of style which 
would mark a simply didactic treatise. 

The author wishes to record his indebtedness 
to a valuable work on a portion of this 
controversy, by the Right Reverend Bishop 
Hopkins, for the assistance, both in argument 
and in authorities, rendered him in discuss- 
ing the subject of the second lecture ; also 
to the works of the Reverend Dr. Cumming of 
London, and of the Reverend Dr. Elliott of 
Cincinnati, for some of those illustrations of the 
character of Roman Catholicism, which are 
found in others of the Lectures. 

Montreal, 15th August, 1853. 



# 



I 

I 



LECTURE I. 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 

It lias been already announced to you that rny object 
in delivering the series of Lectures upon which we now 
enter, is to expound the principles and doctrines of the 
Protestant faith. I rather desire to inform the Pro- 
testant mind than to contend, much less cavil with my 
Eoman Catholic friends. It will, I need not say, be 
impossible, in addressing myself to such a subject as 
that whose discussion is now proposed, not to refer to 
the Church whose errors gave rise to those Lutheran 
remonstrances which resulted in the system denomi- 
nated " Protestantism :" but, in doing this it will be 
my continual purpose to avoid the utterance of a single 
word that will even offend the taste, much less wound 
the feelings of any person who may hear me. ■ It is 
possible, so at least I believe, to deal with error without 
descending to personal abuse ; it is possible to expose 
the inconsistencies of a system, without infringing 
towards its adherents, the law of love. 

I ask for these Lectures the candid consideration of 
every Roman Catholic who may favour me with his 
presence and attention. Whatever I shall say of the 
doctrines and worship of the Church of Rome will be 
derived from acknowledged standards or authorities of 



14 



LECTURE I. 



that Church, "What I shall say of Protestantism, will 
be, so far as I know it, in faithful accordance with 
its universally acknowledged principles. And I will 
farther say, that if any Roman Catholic who may hear 
me, seek additional information on any subject which 
shall he discussed, and will take the trouble of writing- 
to me a note, I will do my best, in the course of the 
series, to bring out the information which he needs. In 
order to this, however, it will be necessary for the 
writer to subscribe his name and address, as it has been 
a rule with me for many years to commit to the flames r 
without reading, every anonymous communication that 
I receive. 

And now it only remains to invoke upon this under- 
taking the Divine blessing. Let us remember that no 
exhibition of the truth of God ean be uninfluentiaL 
Edification and sanctification are the fruits of a docile 
and prayerful attention to the word of God. To exhibit 
the truth, is to communicate light to the darkened 
conscience of the guilty: To exhibit the truth, is to 
plant a guide-post in the way of the sinner who wanders 
over the wilderness of error, seeking rest and finding 
none : To exhibit the truth, is to erect a light-house 
within view of the tempest-tossed mariner, who seeks 
in vain a harbour of repose for his troubled conscience. 

The subject announced for exposition this evening is 

" THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH." 

The words which I have selected as the foundation 
of my remarks upon this vital question, are found in the 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 15 

xvii. chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, at 
the 17th verse. They occur in that sublime prayer 
which our adorable Saviour last offered for his dis- 
ciples : " Thy word is truth." 

This is the first principle of Protestantism. The 
word of God is the fountain of religious truth,- — the 
one only source from which is derived all that we 
know of God which is not revealed to us by his works ; 
and all that we know of man's relation to God, of man's 
position in the sight of God, of God's disposition 
towards man as a sinner, of man's duty to God, and of 
man's future destiny. We do not, be it remembered, 
assert that the word of God is the source of all truth, 
for there are mathematical truths, which are derived 
from sources independent of the Bible ; and there are 
physical truths which have been ascertained by the 
investigations of science; and there are divine truths, 
such as the eternal power and Godhead of the Creator, 
which are revealed to us by the vast and glorious works 
of creation. What we assert as a first principle of 
Protestantism is this, — that of all revealed truth, the 
Bible is the sole fountain. — " Thy word is truth." 

We wish to remind you of a doctrine which is 
too reasonable to be disputed, and to which we shall 
frequently refer in the course of this discussion, viz., 
that truth is never inconsistent with itself ; that truth 
never contradicts truth ; that physical truth and ma- 
thematical truth, and the truth of natural theology, 
and the truth of revealed theology are all in perfect 
harmony with each other. Independent they are, but 
contradictory they never can be. This evening we 



16 



LECTURE I. 



have to do with the source of all revealed truth. Let 
me then announce a doctrine kindred to that now 
adduced, a doctrine which is no less philosophical, viz., 
that revealed truth can never contradict itself. If (e. g,) 
I draw from the acknowledged fountain of revealed 
truth any doctrine whatsoever, I am bound to reject as 
false every dogma which does not accord with that 
doctrine. Truth is as immutable as Divinity, truth is 
as consistent as God. No change in society, no mea- 
sure of antiquity, no discovery of science, no variation 
of climate or of language affects truth. What was truth 
in Jerusalem when Christ was crucified, was truth in 
Rome when Paul was crucified; what was truth in 
Rome 1800 years ago, is truth in America, in Montreal, 
in 1853. It will be acknowledged by all parties, that, 
so far, this is an advantage to us in our present inquiry. 

Another thing favourable to our present investigation 
is this, that between the Church of Rome and Protest- 
antism there is no dispute as to the plenary inspiration 
of those Scriptures or writings which we call the Bible, 
including the Old and New Testaments. The Old 
Testament in Hebrew, as handed down to us by the 
Jews, and the New Testament in Greek, which every 
Protestant student of the original uses, and from which 
our present English version is taken, are acknowledged 
by the Church of Rome to be the inspired word of the 
living God. We speak now of the Scriptures in the 
original tongues, and we would remind every Catholic 
and Protestant present, that all the versions of the 
Scriptures which are of any account in either of the 
two communities, acknowledge one and the same ori- 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 17 



ginal. There is certainly a dispute as to the veracity 
of the translations from that original ; but no Protestant 
need question the fidelity of the translators of King 
James T s Bible, when he remembers the care which was 
taken to secure a perfect rendering of God's own word, 
or while he has the testimony of such scholars as Lowth, 
Horsley, and Selden, in support of the integrity of the 
English text. Indeed we desire no farther proof of the 
accuracy of the Protestant Bible than that which is 
afforded by the fact, that there is so general a corres- 
pondence between it and the Latin vulgate, a version 
which the Council of Trent declared to be authoritative 
and divine. In the course of these lectures we shall 
advance no text, (without a distinct announcement to 
the contrary,) in support 'of the principles of Protestant- 
ism, that is not found in the Roman Catholic versions 
of the Scriptures ; — in the Vulgate, in Martini's Italian 
translation, or in the Douay version. 

Protestantism enters its protest against any 
addition whatever to the old and new testa- 
MENT Scriptures, as binding upon the faith and 

PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH, OR UPON THE CONSCIENCE 
OF ITS MEMBERS. 

First, — Protestantism rejects the Apocryphal books 
or writings ; not as historical and moral writings having 
the same claim to our respect as the works of Xenophon, 
or Plato, or any other ancient historian or moralist ; but 
it rejects them as inspired writings. 



18 



LECTURE L 



Observe 1. — The Canon of both Jews and Protest- 
ants, as it respects the Old Testament, is precisely one. 

In support of this position, I shall merely transcribe 
a few sentences from the celebrated Catholic historian, 
Dupin, who in his history of the Canon, vol. i. page 7, 
quotes Jerome on this subject : — "All the books of the 
Old Testament among the Jews are twenty-two, of 
which five belong to Moses, eight to the prophets, and 
nine to the other holy penmen; and we are to take 
notice, that whatever is not contained in the number of 
those books which we have translated from the Hebrew, 
is Apocryphal. From hence, it follows, that the Book 
of Wisdom, commonly ascribed to Solomon, Ecclesias- 
ticus, said to be composed by Jesus, the son of Sirach, 
Judith, Tobit and Pastor, do not belong to the Canon, 
no more than the two books of the Maccabees." Did 
Jesus Christ, or his apostles, ever charge the Jews with 
the omission of any Canonical book ? No. And yet 
if the writings which we call Apocryphal were inspired, 
as the Church of Rome asserts, they would surely have 
laid themselves open to that charge. Did Christ, or his 
apostles, ever quote from, or refer to these disputed 
writings ? 

Observe 2. — The Apocryphal books were not admitted 
into the Canon of scripture during the first four centuries 
of the Christian Church. The first catalogues of the 
Canonical books made by the ecclesiastical Greek and 
Latin authors, comprehended no more than the Jewish 
Canon in the Books of the Old Testament. In support 
of this statement we again furnish the testimony 
of our Catholic historian Dupin, whose statements no 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 19 



^candid Roman Catholic will be disposed to question, 
a The first and most ancient catalogue of the Canonical 
books that we have, drawn up by a Christian author, is 
that of Melito, Bishop of Sardis. This catalogue is 
mentioned by Eusebius in the 26th chapter of the 4tk 
book of his history. In it he reckons only twenty- 
two books of the Old Testament, Origen, in a passage 
extracted from his commentary on the 1st Psalm, 
reckons also twenty-two. The "Council of Laodicea, 
which is the first Synod wherein the number of 
-Canonical books was determined, assigns only twenty- 
two books of the Old Testament, including the book 
of Esther, and joining Baruch, the Lamentations 
and the letters, with the prophecy of Jeremiah. This 
catalogue is followed by St. Cyril of Jerusalem in his 
fourth catechetical lecture, and by St. Athanasius in his 
Festival epistle." The same historian says again that 
" the first catalogue wherein the books of the Apocrypha 
were admitted as canonical and as having the same 
authority as the Bible, is that of the third Council of 
Carthage, (Africa,) held in the year 397 he further 
intimates that they were " received on condition that the 
Church beyond the sea (Europe) should be consulted 
for its confirmation." Taking then, the authority of a 
Roman Catholic historian, it appears that during the 
first four centuries the Jewish canon alone was received in 
Christendom. The decision of the Council of Laodicea, 
omitting the Apocrypha, was received by the universal 
church. But the Council of Carthage in Africa decided 
only for themselves, and besides they wished to consult 
churches in other countries on this subject. At a 



20 



lectors: r. 



second African council, held in 418, the Apocrypha was 
taken into the Canonical catalogue, but they were so far 
from determining absolutely on this subject that they 
thought proper to confer with the churches in Italy.. 
It remained for the Council of Trent in 1545, 
authoritatively and definitely to add the uninspired 
Apocrypha to the "Word of God, and to pronounce its 
anathema upon all who do not hold it as sacred and 
canonical. Yet we are often asked, and this too in the 
language of defiance, to show that the Christian 
church previously to Luther ever held a different Canon I 
Secondly, — Protestantism rejects an unwritten word ; 
it rejects all oral tradition as a rule of faith : It denies 
the necessity of an unwritten word to supplement the 
deficiencies of the written word : It denies the existence 
of an unwritten word, and it has in vain demanded the 
proof of its existence in the Catholic Church, Where 
lie these oral traditions ? where is the evidence of their 
*• inspiration? Do they teach any thing different from 
the preaching and writings of the Great Teacher and 
His Apostles ? Then I reject them, and I say " ye make 
the commandment of God of none effect by your 
tradition." But Protestantism goes farther, it denies 
the possibility, for any practical, authoritative purpose, of 
an unwritten word. Take (e. g.) the history of the Old 
"World : Primitive religious truth had to pass through 
few hands, and yet how soon did the world forget the 
institution of the Sabbath, and the doctrine of God's 
Unity. What has oral tradition done for the descendants 
of Noah ? I need only refer to those nations which 
in the present day are destitute of the Gospel. But s& 



ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTli. £1 

Koman Catholic friend might be disposed to ask whether 
we are not commanded to " hold the traditions which 
have been taught, whether by word or epistle ?" Yes^ 
I grant that the Thessalonians were thus taught, and I 
have no hesitation in declaring my willingness to accept 
these traditions or deliverances of the Apostle's mouthy 
if the Church of Rome can produce them, and furnish 
demonstrative evidence that they are truly what they 
profess to be. I cannot proceed to the next step in the 
discussion, without inviting your attention to the opinion 
of two of the Fathers on the comparative value of the 
written and unwritten word. Theophilus Alexandrinus, 
who died in 412, says plainly, "It is part of a devilish 
spirit to think any thing to be Divine that is not in the 
authority of the Holy Scriptures." Jerome, who died 
eight years after Theophilus, writes thus in his controversy 
with Helvidius : " As we deny not those things which 
are written, so we refuse those things which are not 
written. That God was born of a virgin, we believe, 
because we read it ; that Mary was married after, we 
believe not, because we do not read it." 

Thirdly, — Protestantism rejects the authority of .the 
Fathers as a rule of faith. They were but men, fallible 
men ; they aspired not to inspiration ; they were in the 
habit rather, as we have already seen, of appealing to 
the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as their 
rule of faith. Protestants esteem the Fathers, many of 
them at least, as men of piety and learning, and reject 
not their testimony when it agrees with the teaching of 
the Scriptures; but it is as necessary to establish the 
Scriptural authority of the doctrines of the Fathers by 
b2 



22 



LECTURE f. 



an appeal to the Word of God, as it is to establish the 
scripturalness of the teaching of our own divines, by an 
appeal to the same standard. We spoke just now of 
immutability as an essential attribute of truth : does 
the teaching of the Fathers, or their exposition of the 
Bible possess this attribute ? Is there no contradiction 
amongst them ? Is there even a general consistency of 
opinion? By no means. Not only is one Father 
opposed to another Father, but not unfrequently to 
himself. The creed of Pope Pius IV. contains the 
following vow or oath, which every Minister of the 
Church of Rome takes upon himself : " Nor will I ever 
take or interpret the Scriptures otherwise than by the 
unanimous consent of the Fathers." But who ever found 
the Fathers unanimous in their interpretation of the 
Word of God ? It would surprise if not amuse you, 
were I to quote their differences of opinion even on that 
simple passage of Scripture, " the Lord's Prayer." But 
I have only time to refer to their various interpretations 
of a passage which is considered of some importance by 
our Roman Catholic brethren : and lest it should be 
surmised that my own representations of the views of 
the Fathers might be swayed by previously formed 
opinions, I shall give you an epitome of these views 
furnished by one of the most learned writers, and eminent 
authorities in the entire Roman Catholic community, 
Cardinal Bellarmine. The passage occurs in the 3rd 
chapter of 1st Corinthians, and is thus rendered in the 
Douay version : " According to the grace of God that 
is given to me as a wise architect, I have laid the 
foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH, 23 

Man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other 
foundation can no man lay but that which is laid, which 
is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this 
foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, 
stubble, every man's work shall be manifest ; for tha 
day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be 
revealed in fire, and the fire shall try every man's work, 
of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he 
hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward ; if any 
man's work burn, he shall suffer loss ; but he himself 
shall be saved, yet so as by fire/' 

The Cardinal first enumerates the difficulties of the 
passage, and then furnishes an epitome of the differences 
of the Fathers :— 

" The difficulties of this passage are five in number* 
1. "What is to be understood by the builders ? 2. What 
is to be understood by gold, silver, precious stones, 
wood, hay, stubble ? 3. What is to be understood by 
the day of the Lord. 4. What is to be understood by 
the fire, of which it is said, that in the day of the Lord 
it shall prove every one's work? 5. W T hat is to be 
understood by the fire, of which it is said, he shall be 
saved, yet so as by fire ? When these things ewe explained, 
the passage will be clear^ 

" The first difficulty, therefore, is, who are the archi- 
tects who build upon the foundation? The blessed 
Augustine, in his book on faith and works, c. 16, and 
in his ' Enchiridion,' c. 68, and elsewhere, thinks that 
all Christians are here called by the apostle architects, 
and that all build upon the foundation of the faith 
either good or bad works, Chrysostom, Theodoref, 



24 



LECTtmE i t 



Theophylact, and CEcumenius, appear to me to ieacl* 
the same upon this passage. Many others teach that 
only the doctors and preachers of the gospel are here 
called architects by the apostle. Jerome insinuates this 
in his second hook against Jovinianus. The blessed 
Anselm and the blessed Thomas hold the same opinion 
on this passage, although they do not reject the former 
opinion. Many more modern think the same, as Dio- 
nysius the Carthusian, Lyra, Cajetan, and others. 

" The other difficulty is rather more serious, for there 
are six opinions. Some, by the name of foundation, 
understand a true but an ill-digested faith ; by the name 
of gold, silver, and precious stones, good works ; by 
the names of wood, hay, and stubble, mortal sins. Thus 
Chrysostom upon this place, who is followed by Theo- 
phylact. The second opinion is, that Christ, or the 
preaching of the faith, is to be understood by the name 
of foundation ; that by the names of gold, silver, 
precious stones, are to be understood Catholic exposi- 
tions, as the commentary of Ambrose and even Jerome 
seem to teach. The third opinion, by the name foun- 
dation, understands living faith ; and by the name of 
gold, silver, and precious stones, understands works of 
supererogation, &c. Thus the blessed Augustine, in his 
book on faith and works, lib. 6. The fourth opinion is 
that of those who explain by gold, silver, £cc n to be 
meant good works ; by hay, stubble, &c, venial sins. 
Thus the blessed Gregory, in the fourth book of his 
dialogues, c. 39, and others. The fifth is the opinion 
of those who understand by gold, silver, &c, good 
hearers ; and by stubble, &c, bad hearers. Thus 



THE 6ttE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TROTH. 25 

Theodoret and QEcunienius. The sixth opinion, which 
we prefer to all, is, that by the name of foundation is 
to be understood Christ as preached by the first 
preachers ; by the name of gold, silver, &c, is to be 
understood the useful doctrine of the other preachers, 
who teach those who now received the faith ; but by 
the name of wood, hay, &c, is to be understood the 
doctrine, not indeed heretical, or bad, but singular, of 
those preachers who preach catholically to the Catholic 
people, without the fruit and usefulness which God 
requires. 

" The third difficulty regards the day of the Lord* 
Some understand by the name of day, the present life 
or the time of tribulation. Thus Augustine, in his book 
of faith and works, c. 16, and Gregory, in the fourth 

book of his dialogue, c. 39 But all th.&- ancients 

seem to have understood by that day, the day of the 
last judgment, as Theodoret, Theophylact, Anselm, and 
others. 

" The fourth difficulty is, what is the fire, Which in 
the day of the Lord shall prove every one's work ? 
Some understand the tribulations of this life, as Augus- 
tine and Gregory, in the places noted ; but these we 
have already rejected. Some understand eternal fire ; 
but that cannot be, for fire shall not try the building of 
gold and silver. . . . Some understand it to be the 
pains of purgatory; but that cannot be truly said. 
First, because the fire of purgatory does not prove the 
works of those who build gold and silver ; but the fire 
of which we are speaking, shall prove every man's work 
what it is. Secondly, the apostle clearly makes a dis- 



LECTURE I. 



tinction between the works and the workmen, and says, 
concerning that fire, that it shall burn the works, but 
not the workers ; for he says, ' if any one's work shall 
remain, and if any work shall burn ;' but the fire of 
purgatory, which is a real fire, cannot burn works, 
which are transitory actions, and have already passed. 
Lastly, it would follow that all men, even the most holy, 
would pass through the fire of purgatory, and be saved 
by fire, for all are to pass through the fire of which we 
are speaking. But that all are to pass through the fire 
of purgatory, and be saved by fire is clearly false ; foi v 
the apostle here openly says, that only those who build 
wood and hay are to be saved as if by fire : the Church, 
also, has always been persuaded, that holy martyrs, and 
infants dying after baptism, are presently received into 
heaven without any passage through fire, as the Council 
of Florence teaches in its last session. It remains, 
therefore, that we should say, that the apostle here 
.speaks of the fire of the severe and just judgment of 
God, which is not a purging or punishing fire, but one 
that probes and examines. Thus Ambrose explains it 
on Psalm 118, and also Sedulius. 

" The fifth and last difficulty is, what is to be under- 
stood by the fire, when he says, 1 But he shall be saved 
yet so as by fire V Some understand the tribulations 
of this life ; but this cannot be properly said, because 
then even he who built gold and silver would be saved ' 
by fire. "Wherefore, Augustine and Gregory, who are 
the authors of this opinion, when they were not satisfied 
with it, proposed another, of which we shall speak by- 
and-bye. Some understand it to be eternal fire, as 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 



27 



Chrysostom and Theophylaet. But this we have already 
refuted. Others understand the fire of the conflagration 
of the world. It is, therefore, the common opinion of 
theologians, that by the name of this fire is to be under- 
stood some purgatorial and temporal fire, to which, 
after death, those are adjudged, who are found in their 
trial to have built wood, hay, and stubble." 

I ask you, then, in view of this illustration, to 
consider the absurdity of that pledge which is so 
solemnly given by every Roman Catholic minister, not 
to interpret the Holy Scriptures, otherwise than "by 
the unanimous consent of the Fathers." 

But I cannot refrain from directing your attention to 
the opinions of the Fathers upon another text of Scrip- 
ture. And, when I read it, you will not think it 
presumption in me, to say that, of all the passages of 
the New Testament, we have a right to expect, on this 
one especially, that the consent of the Fathers should 
be unanimous. I refer to Mat. xvi, 18: — "I say to 
thee : that thou art Peter ; and upon this rock I will 
build my Church." 

Remember, I am not now discussing the meaning of 
our Lord's language, I merely announce the views of 
the Fathers. Some of them say that the rock is 
Peter's faith ; as Cyril of Alexandria, (dial. 4, on Holy 
Trin.) " He called nothing but the firm and immovable 
faith of the disciple the rock upon which the Church 
was founded, without the possibility of falling:" and 
thus Chrysostom (serm. de pent.) — "He did not say 
upon Peter, for he did not found his Church upon a 
man, but upon faith. What, therefore, is meant by 



28 



LECTtJRE i. 



' upon this rock V Upon the confession contained iri 
his words." Also (Chrys, semi. 54, on Matt.) " and I 
say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I 
will build my Church ; that is to say, upon the faith 
of the confession." Augustine sometimes interprets the 
rock to mean Peter, and sometimes to mean Christ ; 
and referring to his contradictions in his book of retract- 
ations, he leaves the reader to choose for himself 
whichever of the interpretations he prefers. His words 
are to the following: (Retrac. lib. 1.) "I have said, 
in a certain passage respecting the Apostle Peter, that 
the Church is founded upon him as upon a rock. .... 
But I know that I have frequently afterwards so 
expressed myself that the phrase ' upon this rock' should 
be understood to be the rock which Peter confessed* 
For it was not said to him, thou art Petra, but thou art 
Petrus ; for the rock was Christ. Let the reader select 
which of these two opinions he deems the most pro- 
bable." 

I might, almost without end, multiply examples of 
the differences which exist amongst the Fathers upon 
passages of Scripture and doctrines of faith ; passages 
and doctrines that are allowed, by even Roman Catholics, 
to be of vital consequence in the system of Christianity. 
Am I surprised at this want of unanimity ? By no 
means. It is to be expected that fallible men of 
different degrees of learning, educated in different 
schools, born and trained in various countries and 
climates, surrounded by dissimilar influences, should 
variously interpret texts of Scripture. I do not wonder 
at these differences, but I do wonder that a church so 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 29 

prudential as that of Rome, should have enjoined this 
absurd exigetical law, and that any reasonable man 
should consent to be governed by it. 

Now, I think you will agree with me that we have 
reached thus far in our investigation : — that the 
introduction of the Apocrypha into the Biblical Scriptures 
was not sanctioned by either Christ or His Apostles, or 
even by the early church ; that, indeed, it was not 
until nearly the commencement of the fifth century 
that it was received by any portion of the church, and 
then by only the African portion ; and that, therefore, 
the voice of antiquity is against its reception into the 
inspired canon. I have also shown that oral traditions 
are not only not authoritative, but are entirely fabulous ; 
and have asserted, without fear of successful contradiction, 
that no saying or miracle of Christ or His Apostles not 
found in the New Testament has ever been disclosed by 
the Catholic Church on indubitable testimony. And 
lastly, that the Fathers disagree amongst themselves as 
to some of the most important passages of Holy Writ, 
and therefore give an uncertain sound, rather than a 
sure word of testimony. We are driven back from these 
shifting sources of doctrinal instruction to the pure 
truth of God. They furnish no sure foundation upon 
which we can build our hopes, and in the midst of that 
which is so changeful and uncertain, we feel that we are 
only safe when we plant ourselves upon this rock — the 
Holy Bible. " I profess plainly," said the immortal 
Chillingworth, " that I cannot find any rest for the sole 
of my foot but on this rock only. I see plainly that 
there are popes against popes, councils against councils, 



LECTURE I. 



some Fathers against others, the same Fathers against 
themselves ; a consent of the Fathers of one age against 
a consent of the Fathers of another age, the church of 
one age against the church of another age. ... In a 
word, there is no sufficient certainty, but of Scripture 
only, for any considering man to build upon. This 
therefore, and this only, I have reason to believe ; this 
will I profess, and according to this will I live. Propose 
me any thing out of this book, and require whether I 
believe it or no ; and seem it ever so incomprehensible 
to human reason, I will subscribe it with hand and 
heart, as knowing no demonstration can be stronger 
than this ; ' God hath said so, therefore it is true.' In 
other things I will take no man's liberty of judgment 
from him, neither shall any man take mine from me. 
I will think no man the worse man nor the worse 
Christian, I will love no man the less, for differing in 
opinion from me. And what measure I mete to others, 
I expect from them again. I am fully assured that 
God does not, and therefore that men ought not to 
require any more of any man than this, to believe the 
Scripture to be the Word 6f God, to endeavor to find 
the true sense of it, and to live according to it." 

Protestantism asserts the absolute sufficiency 
of the Holy Scriptures for the .guidance of 
the Church in all matters of doctrine and 
practice. 

On this subject, the standards of the churches of 
England and Scotland, with which all other Protestant 
churches agree, are sufficiently explicit. 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 31 



The Sixth Article of the Church of England reads 
thus : — 

" Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to 
salvation : so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor 
may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, 
that it should be believed as an article of Faith, or be 
thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the 
name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those 
Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of 
whose authority was never any doubt in the Church." 

Not less clear and peremptory are the ninth and 
tenth sections of the first chapter of the Westminster 
confession : 

" The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the 
Scripture itself ; and therefore, when there is a question 
about the true and full sense of any Scripture, (which 
is not manifold, but one,) it must be searched and 
known by other places that speak more clearly. 

" The Supreme Judge, by whom all controversies of 
religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, 
opinions of ancient writers, doctrines ot men, and private 
spirits are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are 
to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in 
the Scripture." 

But why need I refer to ecclesiastical standards, since 
the Word of God abundantly declares its own sufficiency. 
I appeal to a few of the many texts which may be 
adduced in support of this assertion. The first occurs 
in the 8th chap, of Isaiah, ver. 20. "To the law and 
to the testimony ; if they speak not according to this 
Word it is because there is no light in them." 



32 



LECTURE I. 



(Vulgate) "There will not be to them the morning 
light." Here the people of Israel were commanded to 
test even a prophet's message. " They have Moses and 
the prophets, let them hear them. ... If they hear not 
Moses and the prophets neither will they believe if one 
rise again from the dead." ..." But though we or an 
angel from Heaven preach a Gospel to you besides that 
which we have preached to you, let him be anathema." 
. . . . " The Holy Scriptures are able to make thee 
wise unto salvation," — "to "instruct thee to salvation." 
And if this could be said of the Old Testament, much 
more may it be said of the New. "What want I more 
than to be instructed to salvation ? What work of 
supererogation is that which requires that I receive 
as truth necessary to salvation, more than that which 
is able to make me wise unto salvation ? For myself I 
want no more than this — only give me the incorruptible 
seed of the Word, which is able to save my soul, and I 
want naught beside. ~No ! I will not wander away 
from this sure word of prophecy, I will not put in its 
place any word of man, no tradition shall have with me 
the same authority as the written word of the Living 
God, and when I am in doubt of its meaning I will go 
to no uninspired authority, but following the apostolic 
maxim, I will compare Scripture with Scripture ; no 
private interpretation shall satisfy me, no interpretation 
of Bishop, or Cardinal, or Priest; the Scripture is its 
own, its best interpreter, and will make all things plain. 
Our Roman Catholic friends sometimes say that the 
Protestant rule of faith is the Bible explained by every 
man's private judgment. This is not a fair representation ; 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 



38 



— our rule of faith is the Bible alone, without note or 
comment, or any thing indeed, extrinsic from itself. 
This is the only standard of appeal which the Protestant 
can recognize. As long as he keeps within the 
circumference of the Bible he is on impregnable ground ; 
but the instant he goes beyond the Bible, and allows 
that the opinion of Henry, or Scott, or Wesley, or the 
comments of the 'Anglican, or Scottish, or any other 
church, are part and parcel of the rule of faith, he has 
left the munition of rocks — he is unsafe, and is in 
momentary danger of being carried away with every 
wind of doctrine. 

Protestantism asserts it to be the privilege of 
every man to approach this source of truth, 
the Bible, and to draw freely from its streams. 

" There is presumptive evidence that the Divine 
Author of the Holy Scriptures intended the Bible for 
all men. Moses promulged the law of God and the 
will of God to the Israelites generally : Joshua did the 
same : Ezra, after the return from Babylon, followed in 
this respect his great exemplar Joshua : The prophets 
spoke to the people generally in the vulgar tongue, and 
wrote in the vulgar tongue : Christ spoke to the 
multitudes, addressing to them, (as, for instance, in his 
sermon on the Mount,) some of the sublimest mysteries, 
and some of the hardest sayings of the Christian 
religion : Peter addressed the multitudes in Jerusalem 
on the day of Pentecost, and Paul preached almost daily 
to large assemblies of Jews and Greeks. They as well 



34 



LECTURE It 



as the other writers of the apostolic epistles wrote to the 
brethren of the Churches — to " all the holy brethren." 
Seeing then, that the Bible is made up of these several 
parts, who can resist the conclusion that it was designed 
without let or hindrance for the whole people? Yes, 
my brethren, the Bible, like Christ, was given for the 
World. 

But we have direct evidence from the Bible itself 
that the Holy Scriptures were designed by God to be 
read and investigated by all. " Search the Scriptures 
for you think in them to have life everlasting, and the 
same are they that give testimony of me." Now, 
whether you regard this as a command, or as an 
assertion, you are in either case bound to acknowledge 
that it was both the duty and the privilege of the 
Jews to "search the Scriptures." The Bereans were 
applauded by the inspired historian in the following 
language : " Now these were more noble than those in 
Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness, 
daily searching the Scriptures whether these things 
were so." We have quoted from the Douay version, 
and the words remain a standing reproof to every 
Roman Catholic Minister who refuses to his fellow-man 
the opportunity and privilege of emulating the nobleness 
of the Berean Christians. 

" They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear 
them." "From thy infancy," said Paul to Timothy, 
"thou hast known the Holy Scriptures," a statement 
which clearly shows what was the domestic practice of 
the Jews as to scriptural instruction. The last passage 
which we furnish in support of the Protestant principle 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 35 

that man's inalienable right is to read the Bible, is 
from one of the Apostle Peter's letters, in which, 
speaking of Paul and his writings, he says, " As also in 
all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in 
which are certain things hard to be understood, which 
the unlearned and the unstable wrest as they do also 
the other Scriptures to their own destruction." I 
direct your special attention to this passage, because 
it proves that St. Paul's epistles were read by the 
unlearned members of the Christian Church ; and 
because also, though these unlearned Christians wrested 
the Scriptures of Paul to their own destruction, the 
Apostle Peter does not command other unlearned 
Christians to desist from reading them lest they also 
should similarly wrest them. 

But we have the testimony of the ancient Fathers 
also in favour of the general reading of the Holy 
Scriptures. 

" Search the Scriptures," says Clement of Alexandria, 
in his celebrated epistle to the Corinthians. " Who is 
there," observes Chrysostom, " to whom all is not 
manifest which is written in the Gospel ? Who that 
shall hear, 'Blessed are the meek, blessed are the 
merciful, blessed are the pure in heart,' and the rest, 
would require a teacher to learn any of these things 
which are here spoken ? As also the signs, miracles, 
histories, are they not known and manifest to every 
man? This pretence and excuse is but the cloak of 
our slothfulness. Thou understandest not those things 
which are written : how shouldst thou understand them 
who wilt not so much as slightly look into them? 



36 



LECTURE t 



Take tlie book into thy hand; read all thy history; 
and what thou knowest, remember; and what is 
obscure, go often over it." This Father yet more 
plainly corroborates the antiquity of the Protestant 
doctrine and practice, for he says, " The Philosophers 
speak obscurely, but the Apostles and Prophets make 
all things delivered by them clear and manifest ; and, 
as the common teachers of the world, have so expounded 
all things, that every man may, of himself, by bare 
reading, learn those things which are spoken." The 
same author, in his Homily on Lazarus, says, " I do 
always exhort, and will never cease to exhort you, that 
you will not here only attend to those things which are 
spoken; but, when you are at home, you continually 
busy yourselves in reading the Holy Scriptures, which 
practice also, I have not ceased to urge upon them 
who come privately to me. For, let no man say, ' Alas, 
I am taken up with lawful causes, I am employed in 
public affairs, I follow my trade, I maintain a wife and 
children, and have a great charge to look to ; it is not 
for me to read the Scripture, but for them which have 
cast off the world, which have taken up the solitary 
tops of mountains for their dwellings, which live this 
contemplative kind of life continually.' "What sayest 
thou, man ? Is it not for thee to turn over the 
Scriptures, because thou art distracted with many 
cares ? Nay, then it is for thee more than for them ; 
for they do not so much need the help of the Scriptures 
as thou who art tossed in the midst of the waves of 
worldly business." He says again, " Wherefore hath 
the spirit of God so dispensed this word that publicans, 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 37 



Ushers, tent-makers, goat-herds, and shepherds, plain 
unlettered men may be saved by these books : lest any 
of the simple sort should pretend this excuse, that all 
things which are said should be easy to discern ; and 
that the workman, the servant, the poor widow, and the 
most unlearned of all other, by hearing of the word 
read might get some gain and profit." The same 
Father says elsewhere, " I beseech you that you come 
speedily hither, and hearken diligently to the reading of 
the Holy Scripture ; and not only when you come 
hither, but also at home take the Bible into your hands, 
and by your diligent care reap the profit contained in 
it." Once more, in his Homilies on the Colossians, he 
exclaims, " Hear I beseech you, ye secular men, provide 
you Bibles which are the medicines for the soul : at 
least get the New Testament." 

I ask, is this accordant with the present teaching of 
the Church of Eome ? Is it the common practice of 
the Ministers of that Church, thus to exhort the laity ? 
Who ever heard a Roman Catholic Priest or Bishop 
beseech his flock to provide themselves Bibles, especially 
the unlettered and the poor of his flock ? Yet, this 
celebrated Father, as we have seen, did this ; and others 
of the Fathers are not less explicit, not less " Protestant" 
in the enunciation of their views on the general reading 
of the Scriptures. Jerome says, " It is for the whole 
people that the Apostles wrote. The laity ought to 
abound in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures." 
Isidorus affirms, " That the heavenly oracles have been 
written for the whole human race ; even husbandmen," 
he continues, " are in a condition to learn there what 



3d 



LECTURE i 



it is fitting for them to know. The learned and the 
ignorant, children and women may equally instruct 
themselves there." I might multiply quotations, but I 
forbear. I have furnished these for the purpose of 
demonstrating to both Protestants and Catholics that 
the boasted reverence of the Church of Rome for the 
Fathers is not so supreme as it is sometimes assumed 
to be, and that antiquity is against her in her present 
practice of restraining the laity from a free examination 
of the word of God. 

Abundant testimony, therefore, is at hand in favour of 
the reading of the Sacred Scriptures by the people. 
Prominent members of the Roman Catholic Church 
frequently assert that the Bible is not withheld from 
them, or from the laity generally. We acknowledge 
that there may be found in the decrees of the Council 
of Trent one or two clauses favouring such a permission, 
but then these perrnissory clauses are so fenced around 
by restrictions, that they become tantamount to a direct 
refusal. And here, let me observe, that the authorities 
of the Roman Catholic Church are not at one on this 
subject of Bible reading. A conclave of Bishops 
meeting at Bononia gave the following counsel or 
advice to Pope Julius III. : " By all means, as little of 
the Gospel as might be, especially in the vulgar tongue, 
should be read to the people ; and that little which is 
in the Mass ought to be sufficient ; neither should it be 
permitted to any mortal to read more, for so long as 
men were contented with that little, all went well with 
them." 

Pope Pius VII. published in 1816, a Bull against 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 39 



Bible Societies, in which he represents the circulation 
of the Scriptures by Bible Societies " as a crafty device, 
by which the very foundations of religion are under- 
mined ; a pestilence which must be remedied and 
abolished ; a defilement of the faith, eminently 
dangerous to souls; impious machinations of innova- 
tors ; wickedness of a nefarious scheme ; snares prepared 
for men's everlasting ruin ; a new species of tares, which 
an adversary has abundantly sown." In the same Bull 
the Pontiff says, " It is evident from experience that 
the Holy Scriptures, when circulated in the vulgar 
tongue, have through the temerity of men, produced 
more harm than benefit."* 

But I must not longer detain you with extracts 
corroborative of a fact which, despite the occasional 
denials of her members, is stamped upon almost every 
page of the history of the Roman Catholic Church. 
That the ecclesiastics of that community generally, 
are opposed to the circulation of the Bible, is too patent 
to the world to demand accumulated proof. The Word 
of God is not read by the great body of Roman 
Catholics ; it is not even circulated amongst them ; it 
is not permitted to a Roman Catholic to buy or sell a copy 
of even the Douay Bible, without an order in writing. 
Should a Roman Catholic bookseller infringe this law, 
he would subject himself to heavy ecclesiastical 
penalties. Yet we are told the Bible is not withheld 
from the members of the Church ! 

Lastly, I ask you not, " Are you a Roman Catholic ?" 
" Are you a Protestant ?" I ask you not, " Are you an 

* See note at the end of this Lecture. 



40 



LECTURE L 



Episcopalian ? a Presbyterian ? a Methodist V But I 
ask you, " Are you a man ?" Then has your Divine 
Creator vested in you the right, which it were unjust to 
withhold, of reading, for yourself, the Holy Bible. Do 
you feel that you are in darkness ? This Divine Word 
will be a light unto your feet, and a lamp unto your 
path. Would you become acquainted with the cha- 
racter of the Great God with whom you have to do ? 
With his attributes, with his will, with his law? All 
the information which you require may be found and 
obtained in this Blessed Volume of truth. Are you a 
sinner % In this Bible and in it alone, is disclosed the 
method of pardoning mercy through the atonement of 
Jesus. Are you in sorrow and affliction ? The Bible 
reveals to you the only fountain of consolation. Are 
you an immortal spirit rapidly journeying to the eternal 
world ? In this Bible, this book of books, you have 
opened up to you the path that leads to immortality 
and eternal life. By whatever motives men may 
attempt to draw you off from the study of this Bible, 
heed them not, for it is God's great gift to eveiy man, 
and therefore to you. It is your light in the darkness 
of the wilderness; it is your chart in the voyage of 
life ; it is your anchor in the storm of distress ; it is 
your armour in your conflicts with your enemies ; it is 
your bridge of safety over the river of death. Love 
your Bible — bind it to your heart — cleave to its 
truths — follow its instructions — obey its laws — trust its 
promises. " Search the Scriptures," — for they are 
they which testify of Christ : " Let the word of 
Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom" : " The word 



THE ONE SOURCE OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH. 41 



of the Lord endureth for ever, and this is the word 

WHICH BY THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED UNTO YOU." 

" Here may the wretched sons of want 

Exhaustless riches find ; 
Riches, above what earth can grant, 

And lasting as the mind. 

" Here the fair tree of knowledge grows, 

And yields a free repast ; 
Sublimer sweets than nature knows, 

Invite the longing taste. 

" Here the Redeemer's welcome voice 

Spreads heavenly peace around ; 
And life and everlasting joys 

Attend the blissful sound/ 



NOTE TO LECTURE 1. 



ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 
RESPECTING THE READING OF THE SCRIPTURES BY THE LAITY. 

1. The fourth rule of the congregation of the Index contains 
the following provision : " It is, on this point, referred to the 
judgment of the Bishops or inquisitors, who may, by the advice 
of the Priest or Confessor, permit the reading of the Bible, 
translated into the vulgar tongue by Catholic authors, to those 
persons whose faith and piety, they apprehend will be 
augmented and not injured by it; and this permission they 
must have in writing. But if any one shall have the presump- 
tion to read or possess it, without such written permission, he 
shall not receive absolution until he have first delivered up such 
Bible to the ordinary." 

2. Propositions of Father Quesnell expressly condemned in 
the Bull Unigenitus. Translated from Dens Theology. (Yol. 
viii. pp. 315, 316.) 

" The reading of the Sacred Scripture is for all. 

" The obscurity of the sacred word of God is no reason for 
laymen to dispense themselves from reading it. 

" The Lord's day ought to be sanctified by Christians for 
reading works of piety, and, above all, of the Sacred Scripture. 
It is damnable to wish to withdraw a Christian from this 
reading. (Acts xv. 21.) 

" It is an illusion to persuade oneself that a knowledge of the 
mysteries of religion is not to be communicated to women by 
the reading of the sacred book. Not from the simplicity of 
women, but from the proud science of men, has the abuse of 
the Scriptures arisen, and heresies have been produced. 
(John iv. 26.) 

"To take away the New Testament from the hands of 
Christians, or to shut it up from them, by taking from them the 



44 



LECTURE I. 



means of understanding it, is to close the mouth of Christ fe» 
them. (Matt. v. 2,) 

" To interdict from Christians the reading of the sacred 
Scriptures, particularly of the Gospel, is to interdict the use of 
the light from the sons of light, and to cause that they should 
suffer some species of excommunication. (Luke xi. 33.) 

" To take away from the simple people this solace of joining 
their voice to the voice of the ■whole church, is a custom contrary 
to the apostolical practice and the intention of God, (I Cor„ 
xiv. 16.) 

The following are amongst the closing denunciations of this 
well-known Bull 

" We declare, condemn, and reprobate respectively, by this 
our Constitution, perpetually in force for ever, all and singular^ 
the propositions before inserted, as false, captious, ill-sounding* 
offensive to pious ears, scandalous, pernicious, rash, injurious to 
the Church and its practice, neither against the Church alone, 
but also against the secular power, contumacious, seditious, 
impious, blasphemous, suspected of heresy, and savouring of 
heresy itself, also favouring heretics and heresies,and even schism* 
erroneous, approaching to heresy, often condemned, and again 
even heretical, and manifestly renewing various heresies, and 
chiefly those which are contained in the famous propositions of 
Jansenius, and indeed being received in that sense in which 
they were condemned. Commanding all the faithful in Christ, 
of either sex, not to presume to think, teach, or preach concern- 
ing the said propositions, otherwise than contained in this the 
same our Constitution, so that whosoever shall teach, defend, 
publish, or treat even in disputation publicly or privately, unless 
it may be to impugn them, or any of them, conjointly or 
separately, shall be subject ipso facto, and without any other 
declaration, to ecclesiastical censures, and the other punishments 
decreed by law against the perpetrators of similar things. 

" We command also the venerable brothers, the Patriarchs, 
Archbishops, and Bishops, and other ordinaries of places, also 
the Inquisitors of heretical pravity, that they may by all meaps- 



.NOTE. 



coerce and compel gainsayers, and rebels, whatsoever, by 
censures, and the aforesaid punishments, and the other remedies 
of law and fact ; the aid even of the secular arm being called in 
for this purpose, if necessary." 

3. Translation of the Bull against Bible Societies, issued June 
29th, 1816, by Pope Pius VIL, to the Archbishop of Gnesen, 
Primate of Poland. 
" Pius P. VII. 

" Venerable Brother, — Health and apostolic benediction, 
In our last letter to you we promised, very soon, to return an 
answer to yours, in which you have appealed to this holy see, 
in the name of the other Bishops of Poland, respecting what are 
called Bible Societies, and have earnestly inquired of us what 
you ought to do in this affair. We long since, indeed, wished 
to comply with your request; but an incredible variety of 
weighty concerns has so pressed upon us on every side, that, till 
this day, we could not yield to your solicitations. 

" We have been truly shocked at this most crafty device, by 
which the very foundations of religion are undermined ; and 
having, because of the great importance of the subject, conferred 
in Council with our venerable brethren, the Cardinals of the 
holy Roman Church, we have, with the utmost care and 
attention, deliberated upon the measures proper to be adopted 
by our pontifical authority, in order to remedy and abolish this 
pestilence as far as possible. In the mean time we heartily 
congratulate you, venerable brother, and we commend you 
again and again in the Lord, as it is fit we should, upon the 
singular zeal you have displayed under circumstances so 
dangerous to Christianity, in having denounced to the apostolic 
see this defilement of the faith so eminently dangerous to souls. 
And although we perceive that it is not at all necessary to 
excite him to activity who is making haste, since, of your own 
accord, you have already shown an ardent desire to detect and 
overthrow the impious machinations of these innovators ; yet, 
in conformity with our office, we again and again exhort you 
that whatever you can achieve by power, provide for bv counsel, 
c2 



46 



LECTUKS L 



or effect by authority, you will daily execute With the utmost 
earnestness, placing yourself as a wall for the house of Israel- 

" With this view, We issue the present brief ; namely, 
that we may convey to you a signal testimony of our appro- 
bation of your excellent conduct, and also may endeavour 
therein still more and more to excite your pastoral solicitude 
and diligence ; for the general good imperiously requires you 
to combine all your means and energies to frustrate the plans 
Which are prepared by its enemies for the destruction of our 
most holy religion ; whence it becomes an episcopal duty that 
you, first of all, expose the wickedness of this nefarious scheme, 
as you have already done so admirably, to the view of the 
Faithful, and openly publish the same, according to the rules 
prescribed by the Church, with all the erudition and wisdom 
which you possess ; namely, ' that the Bible printed by heretics 
is to be numbered among other prohibited books, conformably 
to the rules of the Index ; (sect. 2, 3 ;) for it is evident from ex- 
perience that the holy Scriptures, when circulated in the vulgar 
tongue, have, through the temerity of men, produced more 
harm than benefit.' (Rule iv.) And this is the more to be 
dreaded in times so depraved, when our holy religion is assailed 
from every quarter with great cunning and effort, and the most 
grievous wounds are inflicted on the Church. It is therefore 
necessary to adhere to the salutary Decree of the Congregation 
of the Index, (June 13th, 175*7,) that no version of the Bible in 
the vulgar tongue be permitted, except such as are approved 
by the apostolic see, or published with annotations extracted 
from the writings of holy Fathers of the Church. 

" We confidently hope that, in these turbulent circumstances, 
the Poles will give the clearest proofs of their attachment to 
the religion of their ancestors ; and, by your care, as well as 
that of the other Prelates of this kingdo n, whom, on account of 
the stand they have wonderfully made for the depository of the 
faith, we congratulate in the*Lord ; trusting that they all may 
very abundantly justify the opinion we have entertained of 
them. 



2s OTE. 



47 



" It is, moreover, necessary that you should transmit to us as 
soon as possible the Bible which Jacob Wulek published in the 
Polish language, with a commentary, as well as a copy of the 
edition of it lately put forth without those annotations taken 
from the writings of the holy Fathers of our Church, or other 
learned Catholics, with your opinion upon it ; that thus, from 
collating them together, it may be ascertained, after mature 
investigation, that certain errors He insidiously concealed 
therein, and that we may pronounce our judgment on this 
affair, for the preservation of the true faith. 

" Continue, therefore, venerable brother, to pursue this truly 
pious course, upon which you ha?e entered ; namely, diligently 
to fight the battles of the Lord for the sound doctrine, and warn 
the people intrusted to your care, that they fall not into the 
snares which are prepared for their everlasting ruin. The 
Church demands this from you, as well as from the other 
Bishops, whom our rescript equally concerns ; and we most 
anxiously expect it, that the deep sorrow we feel on account of 
this new species of tares, which an adversary has so abundantly 
sown, may by this cheering hope be somewhat alleviated ; and 
we always very heartily invoke the choicest blessings upon 
yourself and your fellow-Bishops for the good of the Lord's 
flock, which we impart to you and them by our apostolic 
benediction. 

"Given at Rome, at St. Mary the Greater, June 29th, 1816, 
the seventeenth year of our pontificate. 

"Pros, P. VII." 

4. Extract from the Bull of Pope Leo XII., to the Irish 
Clergy, dated May 3, 1824. 

"It is no secret to you, venerable brethren, that a certain 
Society, vulgarly called The Bible Society, is audaciously 
dispreading itself through the whole world. After despising 
the traditions of the holy Fathers, and in opposition to the well- 
known Decree of the Council of Trent, this Society has collected 
all its forces, and directs every means to one object, — the 
translation, or rather the perversion, of the Bible into the 



46 



LECTURE X, 



vernacular languages of all nations. From this fact there fa 
strong ground of fear, lest, as in some instances already knowo* 
so likewise in the rest, through a perverse interpretation, there 
be framed out of the Gospel of Christ a gospel of man, or, what 
is worse, a gospel of the devil." 

f 



LECTURE It 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 

I cannot proceed to the subject of this evening 7 ® 
discourse, without expressing the gratitude which 1 
felt last Sabbath, at the interest which was taken 
in the subject of the opening Lecture of this series,— 
"The one source of religious truth." — And for the sake 
of those who were not present on that occasion, as well 
also with a view of refreshing the memories of those 
who were, I will repeat, in few words, the conclusions 
to which we came ; which, I am bold to say, must 
have been Undeniable in the view of every candid 
Catholic or Protestant who was present. 

Our time was chiefly occupied in defending three 
Protestant principles i 

First, we entered our protest against any addition 
Whatever to the Holy Scriptures as binding upon the 
faith and practice of the Church. 

We showed (1) that Protestants reject the Apocrypha^ 
on the authority of the Universal Church of Christ for 
the first four centuries of its existence, and on the dis- 
tinct authority of the earliest fathers; in support of 
which statement we adduced the testimony of the 
celebrated Catholic historian Dupin. 

We showed (2) that Protestants reject all oral 
traditions as a rule of faith, because there is no satisfac 



so 



LECTURE it. 



iory evidence that such traditions exist ; and we farther 
quoted the opinion of Theophilus Alexander and Jerome, 
that no truth or doctrine can be established but by the 
authority of the written word of God. 

We showed (3) that Protestantism rejects the autho- 
rity of the fathers as a rule of faith ; we pointed out 
their inconsistencies with themselves and their disagree- 
ments with each other ; and we gave you an illustration 
from the works of Cardinal Bellarmine, of the manifold 
difference of their views on texts of importance in the 
Protestant controversy ; thus demonstrating the positive 
inconsistency of the oath taken by every minister of the 
Roman Catholic Church, — " I will never take nor 
interpret the Scriptures, but by the unanimous consent 
of the Fathers." 

The second principle of Protestantism which we 
defended, was the absolute sufficiency of the Holy 
Scriptures for the guidance of the Church in all matters 
of doctrine and practice. This was supported prin- 
cipally by an appeal to the Scriptures themselves as 
rendered in Roman Catholic versions of the Bible. 

The third principle of Protestantism, for which we 
contended, was thus enunciated : " It is the privilege 
of every man to approach the fountain of truth, the 
Bible, and to draw freely from its streams." This 
principle was maintained on three grounds; on the 
presumptive evidence derived from the facts that the 
Scriptures were written in the vulgar tongue, and that 
they were delivered either by mouth or epistle to the 
people generally; on the direct evidence which the 
Scriptures furnish by both precept and example, that it 



THE OKE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 5i 

behoveth every Christian to search the Scriptures ; and 
on the authority of the ancient Fathers, who, as we 
demonstrated from their own writings, enjoined upon 
the members of the Church in their day the general 
reading of the "Word of God. 

From these several considerations, arguments and 
testimonies, we reached the conclusion that "the 
Bible is the one only source of religious truth." 

I most cordially repeat, this evening, the twofold 
profession which I volunteered a week ago, namely, 
that it will be my continual purpose to avoid the utter- 
ance of a single word that shall even offend the taste, 
and much less grieve the mind of any of my hearers ; 
and that unless there be a distinct announcement to the 
contrary, every passage of Scripture quoted in support of 
the principles of Protestantism will be taken verbatim 
from one of the Roman Catholic versions of the Sacred 
Scriptures. 

And now I invite you to a serious and prayerful 
contemplation of the subject to be brought before you 
this evening, — - 

" The One Head of the Catholic Church." 

This is a subject which will afford an opportunity of 
educing some of the leading peculiarities of the Pro- 
testant system, those I mean which especially distinguish 
it from Roman Catholicism. I have chosen as my text, 
a passage which occurs in the epistle of St. Paul to the 
Colossians, and which you will find in the first chapter, 



52 



LECTURE II. 



at the 18th and 19 th verses. It is thus rendered in the 
Douay Bible :— 

" And He is the Head op the Body, the Church, 
who is the beginning, the first-born from the 

DEAD ; THAT IN ALL THINGS, He MAY HOLD THE PRIMACY ! 

Because, in Him, it hath well-pleased the Father, 
that all fulness should dwell." 

Our investigation this evening will comprehend two 
general enquiries : — 

First, What is the Church, the Catholic Church ? 

Second, Who is the Head of this Church ? 

What is the Church? And it may be well to 
announce at once, tha,t the principle upon which I shall 
pursue this inquiry is that which is laid down by St. 
Augustine in his controversy with the Donatists : " Let 
them," says he, " show me their Church ; not in the 
councils of their Bishops, not in the writings of dis- 
putes, not in the miracles and prodigies of which they 
boast ; but let them show it me in the ordinances of 
the law, in the predictions of the prophets, in the songs 
of the Psalms, in the preaching of the Evangelists, and 
in the canonical authorities of the sacred books. This 
is our foundation, to which we inviolably attach our- 
selves, reposing only upon this Scripture which is come 
from the Prophets and Apostles." 

As my special object in these Lectures is to expound 
the principles of Protestantism, it will be necessary here 
to state what Protestants mean by " the Church," as 
well as by the epithet " Catholic," which they not unfre- 
quently prefix to it, We mostly adopt that member 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 53 

of the Apostle's creed, " I believe in the Holy Catholic 
Church." But then what meaning do we attach to the 
expression? As an answer to this demand I shall 
transcribe the definition of the Westminster Assembly 
of Divines, who met about the year 1645, and agreed 
upon that celebrated " Confession of Faith," which was 
afterwards ratified by both ecclesiastical and parlia- 
mentary authority, as " part of the covenanted uniformity 
in religion betwixt the Churches of Christ in the 
kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Ireland :" — 

"The Catholic or Universal Church," say they, 
" which is invisible, consists in the whole number of the 
elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into 
one, under Christ, the head thereof ; and is the spouse, 
the body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." 

" The visible Church," say they again, " which is also 
Catholic or universal under the gospel (not confined 
(i. e.) to one nation as before under the law,) consists 
of all those throughout the world that profess the true 
religion, together with their children ; and is the 
Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and 
family of God, out of which there is no ordinary 
possibility of salvation." 

The article of the Church of England on this subject 
is as follows : — 

" The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of 
faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is 
preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered 
according to Christ's ordinance in all those things that 
of necessity are requisite to the same." 

The literal meaning of the Greek word e/cjcAqom 



54 



LECTURE II. 



which is rendered "Church" in both Protestant and 
Catholic versions of the Scriptures, is assembly, and was 
indifferently employed, even by the inspired writers, to 
assemblies in general. I need only refer in illustration, 
to verses 32 and 39 of the nineteenth Chapter of the 
Acts of the Apostles : — 

"Now some cried one thing, some another. For 
the assembly EraXqena) was confused, and the 
greater part knew not for what cause they were come 
together." 

" And if you enquire after any other matter, it may 
be decided in a lawful assembly (eicKkrjfftq,.) 

The word is derived from the verb ckkoXew to call 
out. The English word, Church, is most probably 
derived from a contraction of two Greek words, Kvpiov 
and oikoq, signifying the house of the Lord. 

Having given the Protestant definition of the word 
u Church," I shall now transcribe from the writings of 
Cardinal Bellarmine that definition which is most 
generally adopted by our Roman Catholic brethren. 
" The church is an assembly of men, united in the 
profession of one and the same Christian faith ; and in 
the communion of the same sacraments, under the 
government of their lawful Pastors, but especially of 
the Roman Pontiff." This is the Cardinal's exposition 
of what the Church is. The Douay Catechism, (page 
20,) declares in somewhat similar terms, that "the 
Church is the congregation of all the faithful under 
Jesus Christ, their invisible head, and His vicar upon 
earth, the Pope" ; the same catechism goes on to say 
fch»t the church consists of " a Pope or supreme head, 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 55 

Bishops, Pastors, and Laity;" and, on the next page, 
we have the following sentence, to which I invite your 
special attention : " He who is not in due connexion 
and subordination to the Pope and general Councils, 
must needs be dead, and cannot be accounted a member 
of the Church, since from the Pope and general 
Councils under Christ, we have our spiritual life and 
motion as Christians." In the Canon law of the Roman 
Catholic Church, we find the following : " The Roman 
Church, by the appointment of our Lord, is the mother 
and mistress of all the faithful." 

And now you will be prepared for this general 
statement or declaration. 

That the Reformed Churches of Christendom protest 
against the assumption, by any particular church, and 
therefore by the Church of Rome, of the right to apply 
to itself alone, the title of Catholic or Universal. 

First, — They deny this right on the authority of the 
Holy Scriptures. Let any Roman Catholic produce, 
even from his own admired versions of the New 
Testament, a single passage which in the smallest 
degree favours the doctrine that the Church of Rome 
was ordained by Christ and His Apostles, to be the one 
only true Church on earth, the mother and mistress of 
all Churches, and I will at once lay aside this Protestant 
robe, and present myself to the Roman Catholic Bishop 
of Montreal as a candidate for admission into his 
communion. But is it so ? I open the Douay Bible 
on the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, and 
I read in the first verse, that at the time of Stephen's 
martyrdom, "there was raised a great persecution 



56 



LECTURE II. 



against the Church which was at Jerusalem" Now 
Peter founded this Church on the day of Pentecost ; it 
was therefore the first Christian Church ever established ; 
in the midst of it was held the first Christian Council 
that ever assembled ; and at this Council, though Peter 
was present, and addressed its members, you do not 
find either in the Acts of the Apostles, or in any 
authenticated copy of the Fathers, even the shadow of 
an intimation that he assumed authority over the other 
Apostles. So far from this, we learn from the nineteenth 
verse of the fifteenth chapter, that James pronounced 
the decretory sentence — "For which cause I judge 
that they who from among the Gentiles are converted 
to God, are not to be disquieted ;" — which, as says 
Chrysostom, whose authority my Roman Catholic 
friends at least will not question, means, " I with 
authority say this," for as he immediately explains " he, 
(i. e. James) had the authority of the Church at 
Jerusalem committed to him." I pass on to the forty- 
first verse of this same chapter, and I read of Paul's 
going through Syria and Cilicia " confirming the 
Churches" In the fifth verse of the following chapter, 
I find the same expression, "And the Churches were 
confirmed in the faith." Such language would not be 
tolerated by the Church of Rome in the present day ; 
she rejects the notion of several churches ; but you 
have seen from her own version of the New Testament 
that the Apostles spoke of various churches. I go on to 
consult the epistle to the Romans. There was but one 
Apostolic letter written to the Church at Rome, and 
this not by Peter but by Paul ; our Roman Catholic 



THE ONE HEAD OE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 51 

friends seem to hold it in high veneration on account, 
as they say, " of the sublimity of the matter contained 
in it." Now I think you will all agree with me, that 
we have a right, a priori, to expect in this epistle some 
reference to the position of eminence which the Church 
of Rome now declares itself to have held from the days 
of Peter and Paul. If Rome was, as is maintained, the 
mistress of Churches, if Peter, as is also maintained, 
was the founder of the Church there, and was withal 
the Prince of the Apostles, might we not fairly look 
out for some expression of deference to the apostolic 
chief, and might we not anticipate that Paul would 
say a word or two of Rome's exalted destiny ? I search 
the Vulgate and the Douay version in vain for any 
such expression ; there is not a syllable which, by even 
the most refined torture, could be brought to support 
this strange opinion. I rather meet with expressions 
that overthrow the doctrine of the Universal dominion 
of the Church of Rome, for in the sixteenth chapter, 
the Apostle speaks " of the church that is in Cenchre." 
He speaks also of " the Churches of the Gentiles," and 
of " the Church which is in the house of Prisca and 
Aquila," and as he draws towards the closing sentences 
of his epistle, he says, " All the Churches of Christ 
salute you." There were, then, other Churches besides 
that at Rome, and they sent their ordinary salutations 
to the Church at Rome ; ordinary I say, for a precisely 
similar salutation was addressed by the same Apostle to 
the Corinthian Church, — " The Churches of Asia salute 
you." The Apostle does not call the Roman Church 
u our Holy Mother," but addresses it in the same terms 



58 



LECTURE II. 



in which he addressed every other Church to which he 
wrote. 

The Roman Catholic Church, in common with 
ourselves, believes that Paul ' was martyred at Rome, 
and that immediately before his martyrdom he wrote 
his second letter to Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus. I 
will turn then, to this epistle, for surely I ought to find 
something about the supreme exaltation of the Church 
at Rome, something about Peter its asserted founder, 
and something about the necessity of Timothy and all 
other Bishops submitting themselves to the authority 
of the Holy See. Now, I wish every Roman Catholic 
present, to read out of his own Bible this epistle, for he 
will, I am sure, be completely baffled when I tell him 
that in this, Paul's dying testimony for the truth of 
Jesus, addressed to the Ephesian Bishop, there exists 
not a single reference either to the pre-eminence of 
Rome, or to the chiefship of Peter ; he issues no 
command requiring subordination to the decrees of the 
Church there; he speaks of several persons by name, 
but he says not one word of Peter or of his work. 

Secondly, — The right of the Church of Rome to 
assume for herself only, the title of Catholic or 
Universal, is denied by Protestants on the authority of 
the Ancient Fathers. 

I feel sure that if you will only give me your attention 
on this important point in the Protestant controversy, I 
shall convince you that, appealing only to the best 
authenticated Catholic standards, this assumption was 
not by any means coeval with the establishment of the 
Church at Rome. 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 59 

(1.) The first proof that I shall adduce will be taken • 
from" the Roman Catholic version of the epistle of 
Clement Bishop of Rome, to the Corinthians, written 
about A. D. 90. In this epistle he expostulates with 
them on their having deposed their ministers, and 
having permitted contentions amongst themselves. It 
will be observed that Clement here affects no superiority 
over the Corinthian Church, but addresses it as having 
equality with the Church at Rome. The commencement 
of the epistle runs thus : " The Church of God which 
worships at Rome, to the Church of God which 
worships at Corinth, called and sanctified by the will 
of God, &c," a very different style of address from 
that which is now employed by the Bishop of Rome, 
when he writes an ecclesiastical epistle. 

" ' The Apostles,' preached to us from Jesus Christ, 
Jesus Christ from God. Christ, therefore, was sent by 
God, and the Apostles by Christ; each mission was 
performed in its own order, by the will of God. 
Therefore, having received their command from him, 
and being certainly assured by the resurrection of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and confirmed in faith by the word 
of God, with the plenitude of the Holy Ghost, they 
went forth announcing the approach of the kingdom of 
God. Preaching, therefore, through regions and cities, 
they appointed the first fruits of those whom they 
approved in the spirit as Bishops and Deacons, over 
j those who believed.' 

" Our Apostles also, knew through our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that there would be contention about the name 
of Bishop. Therefore, on this account, being filled with 



60 



LECTURE II. 



perfect foreknowledge, they constituted those of whom 
we have spoken before, and delivered a rule thenceforward 
for the future succession, that when they departed, 
other approved men should take their office and 
ministry. Those, therefore, who were constituted by 
them, or after their time, by other approved men, with 
the consent of the whole Church, and who fulfilled 
their ministry to the sheepfold of Christ, humbly, 
quietly, and liberally, and through a long period, 
obtained a distinguished report from all men, those we 
think it unjust to depose from their office. For it will 
not be accounted a light sin, if those who offer gifts 
without strife and with holiness, should be removed 
from their episcopate." 

(2.) The second patristic testimony which I shall 
adduce is from the writings of Irenseus ; and here I 
shall have to tax your patience for a little, because it is 
to the authority of this Father that our Roman Catholic 
friends so frequently refer in proof of the supremacy 
and catholicity of the Church of Rome. Listen then, 
to the following sentence from his work against 
Heresies : " We have not known the system of our 
salvation, except by those through whom the Gospel 
came to us ; which then, truly, they preached, but 
afterwards, by the will of God, they delivered to us in 
the Scriptures, to be the pillar and ground of our faith." 
Here at least, there is no reference to the Church 
having been built upon Peter, but upon the Gospel 
Faith — this is the pillar, this the ground of saving 
truth. 

But in the third chapter of this same book against 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 61 



Heresies, there occurs the following passage, to which I 
invite your candid attention, because it is the strongest 
evidence from antiquity which the Roman Catholic 
Church can adduce in favour of her claims. Irenaeus, 
then, contending against the Gnostics of his day, says, 
** The tradition of the Apostles being manifested through 
the whole world, it remains to be seen throughout the 
whole Church by all who wish to behold the truth. 
And we are able to enumerate those who were 
instituted Bishops by the Apostles in the Churches, 
and their successors to our own time, who taught and 
knew nothing like what these men rave about : — But 
since it would be tedious," he continues, "in such a 
volume to reckon the successions of all the Churches, 
we confound all those who in any manner infer what 
is unseemly, by the successions of the Bishops of that 
greatest, very ancient, and universally known Church, 
founded and constituted at Rome, by the two most 
glorious Apostles Peter and Paul, which shows the 
tradition which it has from the Apostles, and the faith 
announced to men, and descending even to us. For to 
this Church, on account of the more powerful 
principality, it must needs be that the whole Church 
should resort, that is, those who are faithful, from all 
places round about ; in which Church, the tradition 
which is from the Apostles, has always been preserved 
by those round about it." This I grant is a strong 
passage ; but let us fairly examine it, and see whether, 
as Roman Catholics say, it proves Irenseus to be a 
witness that the Bishop of Rome then possessed supreme 
authority over the Christian World, and that the 

D 



62 



LECTURE II. 



Church of Rome was acknowledged of right to he the 
mother and mistress of all Churches. Observe then, 

First, — That this Father speaks of all the Apostles 
indifferently, and expressly declares that the tradition of 
the Apostles was given to us in the Scriptures to be the 
pillar and ground of our faith. 

Secondly, — That he speaks of " the successions of 
all . the Churches," and expressly tells us that to avoid 
tediousness merely, he selected one, and that one, in his 
estimation, the most illustrious in the world. 

Thirdly, — That he ascribes the establishment of the 
Roman Church to the joint labours of Peter and Paul, 
uttering not a syllable respecting the primacy of Peter. 

Fourthly, — That with respect to " the more powerful 
principality" of which he speaks, Irenseus does not use 
one word which connects this principality with the 
Church, or with its Bishops. He simply says, " to this 
Church on account of the more powerful principality," 
not on account of its or her, but the more powerful 
principality : — " Ad hanc enim ecclesiam propter po- 
tiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem convenire 
ecclesiam?' 1 I think the candid hearer will agree with 
me that the fair interpretation to be put upon these 
words is this : " That on account of the more powerful 
principality of Rome, where was held the seat of the 
imperial government, where was the Capitol from which 
the decrees of the Roman Senate went forth throughout 
the globe ; in which were concentrated all the wealth, 
the learning, the ambition, the pleasures, and the 
interests of millions, and which was at once the head 
and the heart of that most mighty of empires, it must 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 63. 

needs have been that the Church founded there, and 
flourishing there, was regarded with peculiar interest by 
the minor Churches around it — that it was the richest, 
the most numerous, the most influential, and the most 
important Church in the general esteem of Christians, 
by reason of its peculiar location." Nothing could be 
more natural than that it should be so regarded. 
We meet daily with similar cases amongst every 
denomination of Christians. We see, even amongst 
ourselves, that it does not require a prelatical form 
of government to impart to a Church influence and 
power. Let a church, Presbyterian, Congregational, 
Baptist, or Methodist, be established in any metropolis ; 
let it rise to the position of a wealthy, a numerous, a 
benevolent church ; let it be served by ministers of talent 
and experience, and by officers of repute in the state as 
well as in the church; — I ask you what would be 
the influence of such a church upon the surrounding 
country churches ? Precisely that which Irenseus ascribes 
to the Chmch at Rome in the passage now under con- 
sideration. It is a satisfaction to know that this 
view of the language of Irenseus is taken by a cele- 
brated Roman Catholic author, the learned Touttee, 
the translator of Cyril. 

But we have the testimony of Irenaeus himself that 
this, and no other must have been his view. In the 
second century there was a controversy between Victor, 
the Bishop of Rome and the Churches of Asia, about 
the time of keeping Easter : and the eastern churches, 
refusing to change their custom for the sake of con- 
forming to the practice of Rome, Victor undertook to 



64 



LECTURE II. 



excommunicate them. For this high-handed stretch of 
power he was generally censured, and amongst the rest, 
Irenaeus wrote him a letter of expostulation, of which 
the following is a part : — ' 

" But those elders, who, before Soter, governed the 
Church over which you now preside, (i. e., the Church 
of Rome,) namely Anicetus, and Pius, and Hyginus, 
with Telesphorus and Sixtus, neither observed this 
custom themselves, nor allowed those who were with 
them to observe it. Nevertheless, although they did 
not observe it, yet they preserved peace with those who 
came to them from these Churches in which it was 
observed. And when the most blessed Poly- 
carp came to Rome, in the time of Anicetus, and there 
was a little controversy between them about other 
things, they embraced each other presently with the 
kiss of peace, not greatly contending about this question. 
For neither could Anicetus ever persuade Polycarp to 
cease this thing, because he had lived familiarly with 
John, the disciple of our Lord, and with the other 
apostles, and observed then* custom continually. ISTor, 
on the other hand, could Polycarp persuade Anicetus 
to observe it, since Anicetus said that he retained the 
custom of those elders who were before him. When 
matters were thus situated, they communed together ; 
and Anicetus yielded to Polycarp, as a token of respect, 
the office of consecrating the offering in the Church ; 
and at length they departed from each other in peace, 
as well those who observed this custom, as those who 
observed it not, keeping the peace of the whole 
Church." 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 65 

Now I put it to my Roman Catholic hearers whether 
this letter, or its sentiments rather, is not utterly at 
variance with the interpretation which their Church 
seeks to put on the before mentioned passage. If 
Irenaeus had' intended to teach that it was necessary 
for the whole Church to agree with the Church of 
Rome, how could he justify Polycarp in differing from 
that church ? How could Anicetus be held out as a 
worthy example for Victor, in giving the kiss of peace 
to the Bishop of Smyrna, at the very time that he was 
obstinately refusing to conform to the supremacy of 
Rome ? If, according to your doctrine, Rome was even 
then the acknowledged mother and mistress of all 
churches, if the Bishop of Rome, as your canon tells us, 
held by divine institution the place of God and of 
Christ upon the earth, tell me, how Polycarp, the 
disciple of St. John, and the companion of the apostles, 
could be so ignorant of these mighty prerogatives as to 
hold a controversy with the then Pope ? Tell me how 
it was that Victor, Christ's vicar upon earth, as you call 
him, gave the kiss of peace to one who resisted his 
authority? And tell me, lastly, how it was that the 
Bishop of Smyrna, was permitted to take precedence 
of the Bishop of Rome in the consecration of the Holy 
Sacrament. 

Having thus produced the testimony of both Script- 
ure and the Fathers against the assumption of the 
Church of Rome, in applying to herself alone the title 
of Universal, and in asserting her right to govern, 
ecclesiastically, entire Christendom, — I produce 

Thirdly, — The testimony of acknowledged history in 



66 



LECTURE II. 



support of the Protestant view. Eusebius, in his invalu- 
able history, has preserved several epistles of the 
Emperor Constantine, through whose zeal and devotion 
the Church obtained so signal a victory over Heathen- 
ism. Two of these epistles throw considerable light on 
this subject : — 

" Copy of the Emperor's epistle, in which he orders 
a Council of Bishops to be held at Rome, for the unity 
and peace of the Church. 

* Constantine Augustus, to Miltiades, Bishop of Rome, 
and to Marcus. As many communications of this kind 
have been sent to me from Anulinus, the most illustrious 
proconsul of Africa, in which it is contained that 
Csecilianus, the bishop of Carthage, is accused, in many 
respects, by his colleagues in Africa ; and as this appears 
to be grievous, that in those provinces which divine 
Providence has freely entrusted to my fidelity, and in 
which there is a vast population, the multitude are 
found inclining to deteriorate, and in a manner divided 
into two parties, and among others, that the bishops 
are at variance ; I have resolved that the same Cseci- 
lianus, together with ten bishops, who appear to accuse 
him, and ten others, whom he himself may consider 
necessary for his cause, shall sail to Rome ; that before 
you, as also Reticius, Maternus, and Marinus, your 
colleagues, whom I have commanded to hasten to 
Rome for this purpose, he may be heard, as you may 
understand most consistent with the most sacred law.' " 

" Copy of the epistle in which he commanded another 
council to be held, for the purpose of removing all the 
dissension of the bishops. 



YHE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 67 

4 Constantino Augustus, to Chrestus, bishop of. Syra- 
cuse. As certain persons, some time ago, perversely 
and wickedly began to dissent from the holy religion 
of celestial virtue, and to abandon the doctrine of the 
Catholic Church, desirous, therefore, of preventing such 
disputes among them, I had given orders, that this 
subject, which appeared to be agitated among them, 
should be rectified, by delegating certain bishops from 
Gaul, and summoning others of the opposite parties 
from Africa, who are pertinaciously and incessantly 
contending with one another, the bishop of Rome being 
also present, that by a careful examination in their 
presence, that which seems to be in contest might be 
thus decided. But since, as it happens, some forgetful 
of their own salvation, and the reverence due to our 
most holy religion, even now do not cease to protract 
their own enmity, being unwilling to conform to the 

decision already promulgated, it has appeared 

necessary to me to provide that this matter, which 
ought to have ceased after the decision was issued, by 
their own voluntary agreement, now at length, should 
be fully terminated by the intervention of many. 

" Since, therefore, we have commanded many bishops 
to meet together from different and remote places, in 
the city of Aries, towards the Calends of August, we 
have also thought proper to write to thee, that taking 
a public vehicle from the most illustrious Latronianus, 
corrector of Sicily, and taking with thee two others of 
the second rank which thou mayest select, also three 
servants to afford you services on the way, you may 
meet them within the same day at the aforesaid place : 



68 



LECTURE II. 



that by thy firmness and the prudence and unanimity 
of the rest that assemble, this dispute, which has con- 
tinued incessantly until the present time, in the midst 
of most disgraceful contentions, may be discussed, by 
hearing all that shall be alleged by those who are now 
at variance, whom we hare also commanded to be 
present ; and thus the controversy be reduced, at length, 
to that observance of faith and fraternal concord, which 
ought to prevail.' " 

I appeal to you, could these epistles have been 
consistently written, if the doctrine which is now con- 
tended for by the Church of Rome, had been then 
understood and prevalent ? How, if the Church and 
Bishop of Rome were then pre-eminent, could Constant- 
ine have committed the charge of a Council of Bishops y 
meeting in Italy, to the Bishop of Syracuse? How 
could Constantine have transferred to this council the 
decision of a question which another council, at which 
the Pope was present, failed to settle ? Tell me, how 
it is, if the Roman Catholic doctrine is true, that Con- 
stantine writes to the Bishop of Rome conjointly with 
Marcus, and merely as an equal and a colleague with 
Reticius, Maternus, and Marinus ? Tell me why it was 
that the Bishop of Rome did not convoke these councils ? 
for, according to the Roman Catholic doctrine this was 
his prerogative. And tell me, lastly, if the Roman 
Church, by the appointment of our Lord, is the mother 
and mistress of all the faithful, how it is that the cele- 
brated Eusebius, one of the most learned men of his 
day, from whom we have just quoted, writing a book on 
the History of the Church for the first three hundred 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 69 

and twenty years of the Christian era, honoured by a 
place in the Canon law of the Catholic Church, placed 
on her list of saints, and called by her the father of 
ecclesiastical history, — tell me, I repeat, how it is that 
that celebrated man knew nothing of this vast preroga- 
tive which the Church assumes, that he records nothing 
which at all resembles it, but on the contrary records 
so much which is utterly opposed to it ? 

Fourthly,- — The assumption for her sole dignity of 
the designation Catholic, is inconsistent with the doc- 
trine of the Church of Rome herself. You all know 
how commonly the advocates of Roman Catholicism 
insist upon unity as essential to Catholicity ; so much 
so, that the want of visible unity in Protestantism is 
the argument which they ply against us with greatest 
frequency and power. Now we affirm, without fear of 
contradiction, because we shall prove it from Roman 
Catholic writers of authority, that the Church of Rome 
is absolutely destitute of this mark of Catholicity ; out 
of her own mouth, therefore, and not ours, are we pre- 
pared to disprove her asserted right. 

The Church of Rome is not united on the doctrine of 
infallibility. Some place it in the Church virtual, or the 
Roman Pontiff. This maybe designated the Italian 
opinion, and it has been believed and propagated by 
Popes, Cardinals, Councils, and Doctors of the Church ; 
amongst whom I might mention Popes* Pius, Leo, 
Boniface, Cardinals and Doctors Bellarmine, Pole, Baro- 
nius, Turrecremata, and the Councils of Florence, 
Lateran, and Trent. The majority of those who adopt 
this view, refer the infallibility to questions of faith, 
d2 



10 



LECTURE II. 



and admit the Pope's liability to error in fact. But the 
Jesuit portion of the Church, which is rapidly extending 
its doctrine and influence, acknowledge the Pope to be 
unerring in both these respects. " The Pope," say the}?, 
(I quote on the authority of Caron in his Rembn- 
strantio,) " is not less infallible, in questions of fact or 
right, than was Jesus Christ." But the infallibility &i 
the Roman Pontiff, as maintained by the Italian School, 
and supported by the Popes, Cardinals and Councils 
already mentioned, has also been rejected by similar 
authority. " It is certain," says Pope Adrian, " that 
the Pontiff may err in those things which relate to 
faith." " It is not to be doubted, that both I and my 
successors may err," says Paul. " The French and other 
modems," says Dens, " impugn the infallibility of the 
Pope." The Councils of Pisa, Constance, and Basil, 
have also rejected these superhuman pretensions, and 
place infallibility in a general council. An assembly of 
this kind, in their estimation, is superior to the Pope, 
who, in case of disobedience, is subject to deposition by 
the same authority. There is a third opinion on this 
subject, sustained by eminent names, which reposes 
infallibility not in any general council, but in a general 
council convoked, presided over, and confirmed, by the 
Bishop of Rome. There is even a fourth opinion which 
spreads the infallible power over the universal church. 
To this opinion, however, there are not many adherents. 

Now, brethren and hearers, I ask you whether, if 
Unity is an infallible test of Catholicity, the Church of 
Rome can lay claim to be entitled the Catholic Church 
of Christ ? Here is a doctrine of great moment in their 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 7l 

ecclesiastical scheme, respecting which there is a com- 
plete disunion of opinion : and I put it to my Roman 
Catholic friends this evening, whether it is kind or just 
to taunt their Protestant neighbours with want of unity, 
while there is so great a division in their own commu- 
nion on this, to them at least, vital question. 

Again, there are diversities between the doctrines of 
the Church of Rome as now held, and those which 
were held in earlier periods of her history, that are 
completely subversive of her claim to unity. I have 
only time for one or two instances : — 

The Council of Trent declares that the Pope of Rome 
is Christ's vicar, and hath the supreme power over the 
whole church ; and that without subjection to him, as 
such, there is no salvation. Is there any unanimity 
between this doctrine and that propounded by Gregory 
the Great in his first Epistle, in which he says " For one 
Bishop to set himself over the rest, and to have them 
in subjection to him, is the pride of Lucifer and the 
forerunner of Antichrist ? " I might multiply quotations 
illustrative of such diversity, but the time fails. 

What then is the Catholic Church ? I reply, — It is 
the whole body of Christ's redeemed ones in earth and 
in heaven. With Cardinal Bellarmine, I acknowledge 
that the Catholic Church of Christ is divided into two 
portions, — the Church triumphant, which is before the 
throne of God and the Lamb, and the Church militant, 
which is now on earth fighting its way through the 
wilderness, towards the heavenly Canaan. And so we 
•often sing those simple but sublime stanzas : — 



12 



LECTURE II. 



"The Church triumphant in thy love 

Their mighty joys we know, 
They sing the Lamb in hymns above, 

And we in hymns below. 

" Thee in thy glorious realm they praise, 

And bow before thy throne ; 
"We in the kingdoms of thy grace, 

The kingdoms are but one." 

What is the Catholic Church on earth ? It is the 
^hole body of Christ's believing disciples throughout 
the world : — It embraces all the branches of the living 
vine united in our divine stock all the living stones 
of that spiritual temple which is built upon the founda- 
tion of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself 
being the chief corner stone : — all the members of 
that spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and the 
divine Spirit, the soul : — all those who, by faith in 
Christ, are washed and sanctified, and justified in the 
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God :— 
•all those scattered throughout the world who are 
new creatures in Christ Jesus, and who live a life of 
faith in the Son of God who hath loved them, and given 
himself for them. Call them what you will, bring them 
from where you will ; find them in any one of the mani- 
fold ecclesiastical divisions of which Christendom is 
composed ; bring them out of the Roman Catholic 
Church, or out of the Protestant Episcopal Communion, 
or out of the Presbyterian Churches ; I care not : let them 
but be found trusting only in the merits of a crucified 
Saviour, let them but be found bringing forth the fruits 
of faith and love, let them but be found with an indwell- 



THE ONE HEAD OE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, IS 

ing Jesus, as the hope of glory in their hearts, — on 
the authority of the word of God, I call them members 
of " the body of the Church." I believe with Chrysos- 
torn, that " where pure faith is, there the church is ; 
but where pure faith is not, there the church is not." 

There is a church on earth, not always visible to men, 
but like the seven thousand in the days of Elijah, known 
only to God. There is a church on earth in which 
Jehovah delights, and upon which he sheds an 
illustrious glory. Come with me this evening round 
about her, and mark her foundations : see your 
Divine Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the chief 
corner stone ; — look at Peter and Paul, and James and 
John, making up with him the glorious foundation ; — 
see Stephen and his brother martyrs, see Timothy 
and Titus, Polycarp and Clement, with their brother 
elders in the church, imparting strength and height and 
beauty to the walls ; — contemplate the myriads of 
unknown spiritual stones that have been inserted by the 
Divine x\rchitect, to give compactness and symmetry to 
the whole. Walk about her, and see how century after 
century has contributed its stratum of spiritual masonry, 
see how each is bound to each, and all to Christ by 
that love which is the bond of perfectness. And still the 
structure rises ! one believer and another and yet others 
are built upon it day after day ; its towers point towards 
heaven ; already can 'we anticipate what it will be ; 
its beautiful proportions, its simple grandeur, its pure 
and graceful ornaments stand out to view ; and oh ! 
when, leaving the spot from which we look upon its 
exterior, we enter the vestibule and pass within, — 



LECTURE II. 



what scenes of beauty and purity, of majesty and 
glory, burst upon our astonished gaze ! The altar is 
there, the cross in which we glory; the sacrifice is 
there, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin 
of the world ; the Priest is there, the Great High 
Priest, Jesus, the Son of God ; the incense is there, 
the prayers of the saints ; the holy water is there 
in the laver of regeneration ; the spirits of the de- 
parted saints are there, ministering with angels 
for the heirs of salvation ; the Holy Spirit is there, like 
a dove, hovering over the whole scene, and sending 
forth his gentle and sanctifying influences upon the 
assembled worshippers " Holiness unto the Lord" is 
written over the altar; and on one side we read the 
inscription — " Glory to God in the highest," and on the 
other side — " Peace on earth, good-will towards men." 

And now we are to inquire " Who is the Head of 
this Catholic Church ?" 

The way to the solution of this question has been 
so completely paved by our previous investigations, 
that a few plain steps will lead us immediately to 
it. " Who is the Head of the Catholic Church ? The 
text answers the question, and I read it again : — " And 
He is the Head of the body, the Church, who is the 
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all 
things he may hold the primacy." 

Protestants assert that Christ is the One Head of the 
Catholic Church ; Roman Catholics, as we have already 
seen, assert that there are two Heads ; 1st, Christ in 
Heaven ; 2d, His Vicar, the Pope, on earth. 

I wish to read to you an extract from a well known 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 75 

Roman Catholic work, " Ferraris Bibliotheca Prompta" 
which is an authorised standard of Roman Catholic 
divinity. The extract may be found in the Frankfort 
edition, printed in 1783, under the word " Papa." 

"The Pope is of such dignity and highness, that 
he is not simply man, but, as it were, God, and 
the Vicar of God. Hence the Pope is of such supreme 
and sovereign dignity that, properly speaking, he is not 
merely constituted in dignity, but is rather placed on 
the very summit of dignities. Hence also the Pope is 
' Father of Fathers ;' and he alone can use this name, 
because he only can be called 4 Father of Fathers,' since 
he possesses the primacy over all, is truly greater than 
all, and the greatest of all. He is called ' most holy,' 
because he is presumed to be such. On account of the 
excellency of his supreme dignity, he is called 1 Bishop 
of Bishops, Ordinary of Ordinaries, universal Bishop of 
the Church, Bishop or Diocesan of the whole world, 
divine Monarch, supreme Emperor and King of Kings.' 
Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as King 
of heaven, of earth, and of hell. Nay, the Pope's 
excellence and power is not only about heavenly, terres- 
trial and infernal things, but he is also above angels, 
and is their superior ; so that if it were possible that 
angels could err from the faith, or entertain sentiments 
contrary thereto, they ' could be judged and excom- 
municated by the Pope. He is of such great dignity 
and power, that he occupies one and the same tribunal 
with Christ ; so that whatsoever the Pope does, seems 
to proceed from the mouth of God, as is proved from 
many Doctors. The Pope is, as it were, God on earth, 



76 



LECTURE XI. 



the only Prince of the faithful of Christ, the greatest 
King of all Kings, possessing the plenitude of power, 
to whom the government of the earthly and heavenly 
kingdom is intrusted. Hence the common doctrine 
teacheth, that the Pope hath the power of the two 
swords; namely, the spiritual and temporal, which 
jurisdiction and power Christ himself committed to 
Peter and his successors : ' To thee will I give the keys 
of the kingdom of heaven,' &c. : (Matt. xvi. :) where 
Doctors note that he did not say ' key,' but ' keys,' and 
by this comprehending the temporal and spiritual 
power : which opinion is abundantly confirmed by the 
authority of the holy Fathers, the decision of the canon 
and civil law, and by the apostolic constitutions." 

Protestants deny that there is any authority hi the 
Word of God for these assumptions. The passage upon 
which rests the whole claim of the Pope and Church 
of Rome to so pre-eminent a dignity is foimd in the 
sixteenth chapter of the Gospel by St. Matthew, at the 
eighteenth and following verses : — " I say to thee that 
thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my 
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against 
it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of 
heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, 
it shall be bound also in heaven ; and whatsoever thou 
shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." 

Upon this passage I desire to make two or three 
brief observations. 

(1.) It is conceded on all hands that the literal 
meaning of the text is, "Thou art a stone, and upon 
this rock" &c. The two words are different — one is 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 11 



7rerpoQ which means a small stone or pebble — the 
other is 7rerpa which signifies a rock. The vulgate so 
far as the Latin language enables it to do so, main- 
tains this distinction. " Tu es Petrus, et super hanc 
Petram" If onr Lord had said thou art a rock, and 
upon this rock, or, thou art a stone, and upon this stone, 
we might be ready to allow that the literal interpreta- 
tion of the words would favour the meaning that Jesus 
Christ intended to affirm that he would build his 
church upon Peter. 

(2.) Observe, that this is withal a figurative expres- 
sion, and one, therefore, upon which alone a vital 
doctrine ought not to be made to rest. 

(3.) Observe, again, that the Lord Jesus renewed 
this commission of Peter to all the apostles after his 
resurrection. — (St. John, ch. xx. 22.) 

(4.) Observe lastly, that neither our Lord nor Peter's 
apostolic brethren, by their conduct at least, put such a 
construction upon the words, as is sought to be applied 
to them. When the mother of Zebedee's children made 
a request on behalf of her two sons, you remember how 
that the other apostles were filled with indignation 
against the two brethren. And what said their Divine 
Master ? — " You know that the princes of the Gentiles 
lord it over them, and they that are the greater exercise 
power upon them. It shall not be so among you." This 
was spoken after the declaration concerning Peter, and 
I ask, was it possible for the Great Teacher so to express 
himself if it had been his intention to make Peter the 
chief and prince of the apostles ? We have already 
seen that in the first apostolic council that was held, 



is 



LECTURE II. 



Peter exercised even less power and authority than 
James. Surely the apostles would have conceded all 
authority to Peter, had they understood that he was 
constituted by Christ their prince and leader, and if 
they had understood him to be placed in the stead of 
Christ, would have paid him that deference which they 
owed to Christ. And now I must beg you to look with 
me into the epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, and to 
read from the Douay Bible a few verses in the second 
chapter. 

" 9 And when they had known the grace that was 
given to me, James and Cephas and John, who seemed 
to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hands 
of fellowship : that we should go unto the gentiles, and 
they unto the circumcision : 

"10 Only that we should be mindful of the poor: 
which same thing also I was careful to do. 

"11 But when Cephas was come to Antioch, I with- 
stood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 

"12 For before that some came from James, he did 
eat with the gentiles : but when they were come, he 
withdrew and separated himself, fearing them who 
were of the circumcision. 

"13 And to his dissimulation the rest of the Jews 
consented, so that Barnabas also was led by them into 
that dissimulation. 

" 14 But when I saw that they walked net uprightly 
unto the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before 
them all : If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner 
•of the gentiles, and not as the Jews do, how dost thou 
compel the gentiles to live as do the Jews ?" 



THE ONE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 79 

I ask you then, seriously to examine this passage. 
Do you find in it a syllable which could lead you to 
imagine that Peter was the prince and ruler of the 
apostles ? If it were so, how comes it to pass that Paul 
entered upon his ministry and continued in it for three 
years, without securing the authority and permission 
of Peter for that act? (Gal. 18, &c.) What becomes 
of Peter's headship in view of the fact that Paul with- 
stood him to the face? "What becomes of Peter's 
infallibility in view of the declaration of the blessed and 
inspired Paul that he was to be blamed ? How could 
Paul, the youngest in office of all the apostles, dare to 
charge this chief of chiefs, this ruler of rulers, this 
prince of princes, this foundation of the church, this 
first infallible Pope of Eome, as he is called by our 
Koman Catholic friends — how, I repeat, could he dare 
to charge him with dissimulation? Brethren, the 
whole theory which has been built upon this and one 
or two other texts, is completely exploded by the conduct 
of the apostles towards Peter. 

But let us take another view of this passage. Much 
as it may surprise you, I am prepared to show that no 
minister of the Roman Catholic Church can give this 
interpretation of the passage without a direct violation 
of his oath. I showed you, last week, that every 
Catholic Priest has solemnly sworn "not to take or 
interpret the Holy Scripture, otherwise than according 
to the unanimous consent of the Fathers." Now, I hold 
my Roman Catholic brethren to this oath, and say, 
that forasmuch as the fathers are very far from unani- 
mous on the meaning of Christ in these words, they 



so 



LECTURE II. 



have no right to interpret it at all, and much less to 
build upon it an essential doctrine of their faith. 

Tertullian was of opinion that our Lord conferred 
this authority upon Peter individually, for he says, 
speaking of the powers and claims of the church : — 
" I would know from whence you derive this right 
which you claim for the church? If, from our Lord's 
saying, or observing to Peter, do you therefore presume 
this power of loosing and binding to have descended 
to thee, that is to the whole church which is related to 
Peter? If so, you are overturning and changing the 
manifest intention of our Lord who conferred this upon 
Peter individually. Upon thee, he says, I will build 
my church : To thee will I give the keys, not to the 
church." 

Origen, in his commentary on Matthew, vol. i., says : 
" If you suppose that the church is built by God upon 
one single rock, Peter, what do you say of John, the 
son of thunder, and every one of the other apostles ?" 

St. Hilary, who also wrote a commentary on St. 
Matthew's Gospel, speaks of this passage as follows : — 
"The confession of Peter obtained a worthy reward, 
for that he saw the Son of God in man. O happy 
foundation of the church, in the declaration of this new 
name ! O happy door-keeper of heaven, to whose will 
the keys of the eternal porch are delivered !" 

Ambrose says expressly: "Faith, therefore, is the 
foundation of the church, for it was not said of the 
flesh of Peter, but of his faith, that the gates of death 
should not prevail." 

J erome is the last father, whose opinion I shall quote 



THE ONE HEAD OP THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 81 



respecting this passage : — " You say, says lie, that the 
church is founded on Peter, although the same thing 
is elsewhere done upon all the apostles, and all received 
the keys of the kingdom of heaven, so that the strength 
of the church is consolidated upon all alike." Need 
I ask if it be possible to interpret this passage , according 
to the unanimous consent of the Fathers ? 

But supposing we were to admit all that Roman 
Catholics say in relation to Peter, they would still have 
to show us from the testimony of Scripture and the 
unanimous consent of the Fathers, 1st, That he had 
authority to confer the same powers upon others ; and, 
2d, That he actually did confer them upon the Bishop 
of Rome. Have they done this ? No ! Can they do 
this ? Echo answers " NO I" 

Who then is the primate of the Catholic Church ? 
Jesus Christ, and he shares not this dignity with any 
creature. He needeth no vicar upon earth, for " where- 
soever two or three are gathered together in my name 
there am I in the midst." He needeth no coadjutor, 
for " in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead 
bodily," and " to him all power is given in heaven and 
in earth." Yes, Jesus is our glorious Head — our wis- 
dom, our guide, our life, our beauty, our all; 
"He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, 
that in all things he may hold the primacy." He 
alone is that spiritual king to whose authority 
we yield : "We take upon us his yoke and reject 
every other: We sit at his feet, and refuse to 
listen to any words which are not according to his 
gospel. He is our primate, our chief shepherd, the 



82 



LECTURE II. 



bishop of our souls. We cast ourselves before this our 
Divine Head, and were he present with us in body we 
would kiss his feet in token of our subjection. To be 
members of his body, to be branches in his vine, to be 
stones in his temple, to be members of the spiritual 
apostolic Catholic Church of Christ — this is the highest 
honour and the greatest happiness that we crave. From 
Him, as the giver of life, the church derives all her 
being ; from Him, as the Sun of Righteousness, the 
church derives all her glory ; from Him as the King of 
kings the church derives all her authority. We know 
no other ecclesiastical crown but that which adorns the 
brow of our blessed Emanuel ; we recognize no other 
ecclesiastical throne but that upon which the Son of 
God is exalted a Prince and a Saviour ; we submit to 
no ecclesiastical sceptre, but that which is swayed by 
Him whose right it is to reign, even Jesus Christ. And, 
believing, as the Douay Bible reads, that " he holds the 
primacy in all things," we rejoice to sing — 

" All hail the power of Jesus' name, 

Let angels prostrate fall ; 
Bring forth the royal diadem, 

And ceown him Loed op all." 



LECTURE III. 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION 

That the Bible is the One Source of Religious Truth, 
and that Jesus Christ is the sole Head of the Universal 
Church, are propositions whose truth has been proved, 
I venture to think satisfactorily, in the two preceding 
lectures. 

The ground, then, on which we stand has been dis- 
closed, the foundation has been made bare. The Holy 
Scripture is the standard of appeal in all matters of 
doctrine and practice ; and in this Protestants only 
follow the example of the Fathers and the Church in 
the first four centuries of the Christian era : — The one 
only Head of the Catholic Church which comprises all 
the spiritual members of Christ's body, is He to whom 
all power is given in heaven and on earth, — our glorious 
Lord, our Divine King, our Almighty Redeemer ; and 
here also, Protestants are supported not only by the 
Bible, but also by the most illustrious names in the 
early church, and, I may say also, in the Roman 
Catholic calendar of saints. 

It is not necessary that I, should farther recapitulate, 
but proceed at once to the subject of my present 
Lecture, 

" The One object of religious Adoration," 
a subject which occupies a prominent place in the 



84 



LECTURE III. 



controversy between ourselves and our Roman Catholic 
brethren. The Scripture, which I am about to read 
to you as a text, is found in the twenty-second chapter 
of the Apocalypse, at the eight and ninth verses. It 
reads in the Douay Bible thus : — 

" And after I had heard and seen, I fell down 

TO ADORE BEFORE THE FEET OF THE ANGEL, WHO 
SHEWED ME THESE THINGS. 

" And he said to me : See thou do it not : for I 

AM THY FELLOW-SERVANT, AND OF THY BRETHREN THE 
PROPHETS, AND OF THEM THAT KEEP THE WORDS OF THE 
PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK, ADORE GOD." 

In addressing myself to this delicate and confessedly 
difficult task, I distinctly avow my intention of advanc- 
ing no statement in reference to the Roman Catholic 
view of the subject, except upon the testimony of au- 
thorized Catholic expositors or liturgies. It is scarcely 
needful to remind you that the discussion will embrace 
one of the strongest grounds upon which the Reformed 
Churches have protested, and still protest against the 
Church of Rome. If the charge which Protestants 
seek to bring home to her, in connexion with religious 
adoration, can be sustained, then will she stand con- 
victed of a most fearful violation of the law of God. 
Protestants think that the principles and practices of 
Roman Catholicism are idolatrous in their nature and 
tendency. My desire is, that it may be found impos- 
sible to make good the charge : great would be my 
delight if the argument should fail, and if Protestants 
should, after all, be convicted of injustice to their 
" Catholic" friends. Let then Protestants and Catholics, 



THE ONE OBJECT OP RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 85 



In investigating this subject, consider, at the very outset, 
those particulars in which they agree, 

1. We all acknowledge the existence of one Supreme 
God, in whom we live, move, and have our being, who 
created all things by the word of his power, and who 
upholds all things by the same almighty word. I take 
up any of the numerous prayer books which are 
in use amongst the members of the Church of Rome, 
and I read in one of the acknowledged creeds of that 
Church, the Mcene : " I believe in one God, the Father 
Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things 
visible and invisible." I open the* prayer book of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church, and I read the same 
words in one of their Confessions of Faith. I look into 
the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and I find that 
form of faith usually designated the apostles creed, in 
which occur the words, " I believe in God the Father 
Almighty Maker of heaven and earth." " Hear, O 
Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord," saith the Catholic, 
and the Protestant, taking up the same orthodox note, 
responds, " The Lord our God is one Lord." 

2. Protestants and Catholics equally acknowledge 
the mysterious, but, as they think, Scriptural doctrine 
of the Triune character of Jehovah. This doctrine I 
do not feel it necessary to defend this evening, because 
between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, it is 
not a disputed point. It may be well, however, and it 
will be only fair, to acknowledge that, in the Protestant 
community, there are some few, I use the expression 
comparatively, who adhere to the tenets of Alius, and 
still fewer who follow the more extreme opinions of 

E 



86 



LECTURE HI. 



Socinus ; but it will be conceded, I think, that between 
Roman Catholics and the great mass of Protestants, 
there is a perfect agreement in respect of this sublime 
mystery of our common Christianity. I have more 
than once read, and with delight too, upon the altars 
of Roman Catholic Churches in Spain, Malta, Sicily, 
and elsewhere, " Et in unurn Dominum Jesum Chris- 
tum, Jilium Dei]unigenitum" &c. ; and I have rejoiced to 
see it rendered into the vulgar tongue in the devotional 
books of the Catholic Church; — "And in one Lord 
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born 
of the Father before all ages ; God of God ; Light of 
Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made 
consubstantial to the Father ; who for us men and for 
our salvation came down from heaven, and was incar- 
nate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was 
made man," &c. I go into a Protestant Episcopal 
Church, and in the course of the morning service, I 
hear, repeated by the minister and people, with a little 
verbal alteration, the same beautiful passages. I go 
into a Presbyterian Church during the ordination of a 
minister, and I find him subscribing to a confession of 
faith, in which the following passage is found : " In 
the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one 
substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God 
the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of 
none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is 
eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost 
eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son." 
On this second subject, therefore, there exists a general 
unanimity. The Roman Catholic Church chaunts 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 8*7 

forth the praises of the Triune God, in the words, 
" Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the 
Holy Ghost"', and the Keformed Churches rejoice to 
respond, " As it was in the beginning, is now and ever 
shall be, world without end. Amen." 

3. Protestants and Catholics acknowledge also the 
obligation of every man to worship, adore, serve, and 
love this exalted Three-One Jehovah. 

Indeed, each of the two systems is based upon this 
elementary truth : " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy 
God." This is tacitly acknowledged in all those prayers 
and anthems of praise which are offered to the Divine 
Being by members of both communities. For instance, 
I find in a Roman Catholic book of devotion, entitled, 
" The Key of Heaven," and which received the impri- 
matur of the late Roman Catholic Archbishop, Dr. 
Murray, the following devotional exercises : — 

" God, to whom every heart is open, every will 
declares itself, and from whom no secret lies concealed, 
purify by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, the 
thoughts of our hearts ; that we may perfectly love 
thee, and worthily serve thee : through," &c. 

" Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace to 
men of good will. We praise thee, we bless thee, we 
adore thee, we glorify thee. We give thanks to thee 
for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God 
the Father Almighty." 

Now I am free to acknowledge that more orthodox 
evangelical or fervent prayers and thanksgivings, could 
not be put into the mouth of any Christian, and I rejoice 



i 



88 



LECTURE III. 



to state that many such are to be found in the devotional 
books of our Roman Catholic Friends. 

There is, then, no question of dispute here: We 
all acknowledge that God is a Spirit, and that they 
who worship him must worship him in spirit and 
in truth ; that indeed we ought to love him with all 
our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength. 

4. Protestants and Catholics are generally agreed 
as to the fearfully evil character of idolatry in the sight 
of God. 

I open the Douay Bible, on the second command- 
ment, and I read : 

"Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, 
nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, 
or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in 
the waters under the earth. 

" Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them : [I 
am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the 
iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third 
and fourth generation of them that hate me." 

To which I find appended the following note : 

" All such images or likenesses, are forbidden by this 
commandment, as are made to be adored and served ; 
according to that which immediately follows, thou shalt 
not adore them, nor serve them. That is, all such as are 
designed for idols or image-gods, or are worshipped with 
divine honour. But otherwise images, pictures, or 
representations, even in the house of God, and in the 
very sanctuary, so far from being forbidden, are expressly 
authorised by the word of God." 

I take up Dr. Butler's Catechism, recommended by 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 89 

the four Roman Catholic Archbishops of Ireland, and 
find the following : " What is commanded by the first 
commandment ? Answer, To adore one God, and to 
adore but him alone." I read again : " What else is 
forbidden by the first commandment? Answer, To 
give to any creature the honour due to God alone." In 
another catechism, I find this abhorrence of idolatry 
expressed yet more forcibly ; and, though the copy of 
the work now in my hand does not appear to be sanc- 
tioned by ecclesiastical authority, I willingly quote from 
it, forasmuch as it is published in this city by a Roman 
Catholic bookseller, and, as I suppose, freely circulated 
and used by the members of that communion. I 
believe it indeed to be a reprint of an ecclesiastically 
authorised catechism, bearing the same title, and pub- 
lished and circulated in Ireland. On page thirty-seven 
I read : " Do you then worship the angels and saints 
as God, or give them the honor that belongs to God 
alone ?" Answer, " No ; God forbid. For this would 
be high treason against his divine majesty." In all 
this, I need scarcely say, Protestants are at one with 
their Roman Catholic brethren. 

At this stage of the discussion, it will be desirable 
to determine, What is idolatry ? Its existence we all 
acknowledge. We acknowledge also the tendency of 
the human mind, or we would rather say heart, in its 
fallen state, to seek after visible objects of worship. 
This, indeed, is proved by all history. First, the more 
glorious created objects — the sun, the moon, the stars, 
were deified, were worshipped as gods : then, heroes, 
men of renown in various pursuits, after their departure 



90 



LECTURE III. 



into the spirit-world were deified, the localities of their 
birth, of their exploits, of their death, were venerated, 
rude likenesses of them were constructed in various 
substances, and multiplied, until they came to be reve- 
renced and adored, not in one place merely, but in 
many places at the same time. Subsequently to this 
the doctrine of the metempsychosis led to the deification 
of the inferior animals, and thus to employ the language 
of St. Paul, the world " changed the glory of the incor- 
ruptible God into the likeness of the image of corrup- 
tible man, and of birds and of four-footed beasts and 
of creeping things." Thus originated the terrible, the 
God-dishonouring sin of idolatry, which has been the 
parent of so much cruelty and bloodshed, and moral 
degradation, and which, like a pestilence, has swept 
over the most august nations and the fairest spots of 
our earth, leaving upon them and upon their people, 
the impress of moral corruption and of spiritual death. 
I have witnessed idolatry in various forms and sur- 
rounded with different circumstances, but wherever I 
have seen it it has been attended with the same demo- 
ralizing influences — a thorough prostration of mental 
vigour, and an extinction of the moral perception, the 
influence of which extends over every grade of society 
and to every social relation. 

In what, then, does idolatry consist ? 

First. — It does not necessarily consist in a denial 
of the existence of the true God. Such a denial is no 
part of the system of Paganism. In Pagan nations, as 
also in those which are Christian, you may now and 
then meet a professed Atheist, but scarcely any man t 



THE ONE OBJECT OE RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 91 

however ignorant, who worships an idol, doubts the 
being of an infinitely supreme and glorious Spirit. I 
grant that, in some of the ruder Heathen nations, the 
prevailing notions respecting the nature of God, are 
very crude and imperfect, but it is not to be forgotten, 
that in those countries in which Paganism has reached 
the magnitude and the refinement of a religious system ; 
the people hold doctrines concerning the divine nature 
not very dissimilar from those which are entertained by 
ourselves. For example, the eternity, the omnipotence, 
the omnipresence, the omniscience, the holiness, the 
wisdom, the benevolence of the Supreme Being are 
held in their integrity by the Brahminical sects of 
Hindostan; but not less, on this account, are they 
idolaters, worshippers of images. Almost every form 
of man, of beast, of bird, of reptile, is worshipped as 
God by the intelligent, as well as by the ignorant 
Hindoo. In the course of my missionary labours 
amongst them, I do not remember meeting with more 
than two who denied or even doubted the being of a 
God. 

Secondly.— Idolatry does not necessarily consist in 
witholding from the Divine Being supreme adoration. 
That such an adoration of the true God is compatible 
with the commission of the sin of idolatry, may be 
gathered from the history of the children of Israel. 
I turn, in the Douay Bible, to the Fourth Book of 
Kings, and I read in the seventeenth chapter, at the 
twenty-ninth and following verses : — 

"And every nation made gods of their own, and 
put them in the temples of the high places, which the 



92 LECTURE III. 

Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities 
where they dwelt. 

" And nevertheless they worshipped the Lord. And 
they made to themselves, of the lowest of the people,, 
priests of the high places, and they placed them in the 
temples of the high places. 

" And when they worshipped the Lord, they served 
also their own gods according to the custom of the 
nations out of which they were brought to Samaria :" 

Thirdly. — Idolatry consists in the transfer of any 
religious adoration to other than God. "I am the 
Lord thy God, a jealous God." " The Lord thy God 
shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve," is 
the language which our ever blessed Redeemer em- 
ployed to resist the temptation of Satan, who had asked 
Him to "fall down and worship him" More par- 
ticularly, — 

(1.) You all acknowledge that to ascribe Divine 
names, titles, attributes, and works to any creature m 
idolatry. Now, the Reformed Churches protest against 
the Church of Rome, because she ascribes to the Virgin 
Mary such names, titles, attributes and works. 

In " the litany of our Blessed Lady of Loretto," I find 
the title "Refuge of sinners," applied to the Mother of 
our Lord. But David, in the forty-sixth Psalm says : 
" Our God is our refuge." I find in the same litany 
the title " Gate or door of heaven," applied to the 
Virgin. Christ says " I am the door. By me if any 
man enter in he shall be saved." " / am the way," he 
again saith ; — expressions which intimate most clearly 
that he regarded the title as solely applicable to him- 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 93 



self. Other titles are ascribed to tiie Virgin which 
certainly partake of a divine character, such as " Most 
holy Mary," " Queen of Angels," " Queen of Heaven," 
* Seat of Wisdom," " Mirror of Justice." These may 
be found over and over again in the devotional books 
of the Roman Catholic Church ; and I ask, do they not 
savour too much of divinity to be applied to any crea- 
ture, more than which I am not aware that any Catholic 
ever contended the Virgin to be. It is possible, how- 
ever, that you may not consider the ground of our 
protest to have been made, as yet at least, sufficiently 
clear. You may imagine that it is necessary to adduce 
stronger proof of the ascription of divine titles and works 
to the Virgin Mary. Let me then refer you to another 
Roman Catholic publication, and as I wish to make 
sure the ground on which I stand, I will mention the 
name of the author, his reputation in the Church of 
Rome, the name of the work, the place in which it was 
printed, the date of its publication, and the authority 
upon which it is circulated amongst the adherents of 
the Church. The author then of the work from which 
I quote is St. Bonaventure; his position as a saint, 
should invest him with some authority ; he was more- 
over a Cardinal Bishop. There is a special service to 
his honour in the Liturgical books of the Roman 
Church, from which service the following sentence is 
extracted : " he, St. Bonaventure, wrote many things ; 
in which, combining the greatest learning with ardent 
piety, he afTects the reader while he instructs him." In 
the same service there is the following prayer : " O 
Lord, who didst give blessed Bonaventure to thy people 
e2 * 



94 



LECTURE IIL 



for a minister of eternal salvation, grant, that he who 
was the instructor of our life here on earth, may become 
our intercessor in heaven." The work to which I allude 
is the Psalter of the Blessed Virgin, published in Rome 
as late as the year 1840, called the eleventh edition, 
and having the imprimatur and re-imprimatur of the 
ecclesiastical authorities in the Vatican. The plan of 
the work is to introduce the name of Mary into each 
of the Psalms, where now the name of God appears. 
The work contains other pieces of devotion, from which 
I give you the following specimen. It is printed in 
Italian, which I will first read,* and then translate 
literally : 

" We prefer our praises to thee, Mother of God. 
We praise thee, Mary, Virgin. 

" All the earth shall reverence thee, the spouse of the 
Eternal Father. 

" To thee, Angels and Archangels, To thee Thrones 
and Principalities humbly bow themselves. 

" To thee all Choirs, to thee Cherubim and Seraphim, 
exulting worship around [thee.] 

" To thee all angelic creatures sing praises with in- 
cessant voice. 

" Holy, holy, holy Mary, Mother of God, both Mother 
and Virgin." 

You agree that creation is a work of God, and that 
to ascribe it to a creature is idolatry ; what then will be 
thought of the following extract from the same book : 
' 'The heavens declare the glory of the Virgin, and the 
firmament showeth forth her handiwork?" I know 



* See note at the end of this Lecture. 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 95 

that these extracts must be offensive to the mind of 
many a Roman Catholic in the congregation. I feel 
persuaded that they are regarded by you as not only 
idolatrous, but even blasphemous ; I am aware too that 
some defenders of the Church of Rome have sought to 
remove the responsibility of this work from Bonaven- 
ture, the celebrated Dr. Doyle especially; but if he 
remove it from the Saint, he throws it upon the Church, 
which, from 1834 to 1840, permitted eleven editions to 
be published at Rome, the heart and centre of the 
Church, with the imprimatur of her authorities. In 
the face of this, Manning has asserted, without proof, 
that this Psalter is found in the index of Prohibited 
Books; which we deny; and, therefore, throw upon 
him, and upon any one else who makes the same asser- 
tion, the burden of proof. You must see the index 
yourselves before you believe that there is to be found 
in it, a book passing through two editions a-year for 
six successive years, bearing the imprimatur of the 
Vatican, and printed at Rome. But the evidence is 
irresistible that this is an authorised Roman Catholic 
work. Give me your attention, and I will convince 
you that this is the case. The first formal and entire 
collection of the works of Bonaventure was published 
in 1587, under the patronage of Sixtus the Fifth, Pope 
of Rome. The Psalter is included in this edition ; and 
what is rather remarkable, there is prefixed to it a life 
of the Saint, by Peter Galesinius, who, on page 19, 
particularly specifies the Psalter as the production of 
Bonaventure. If these are not the present sentiments 
of the Church of Rome, she has changed since the days 



96 



LECTURE III. 



of Sixtus V., and even since the date of the last edition 
of this work, the last that we have heard of, that of 
1840. "We have a right to hold the Church of Rome 
to these sentiments, or to oblige her to confess that her 
teaching is not uniform, and therefore that her boasted 
unity is fabulous. 

(2.) To offer sacrifice, prayer, or praise to any creature 
is idolatry. This is admitted by several authorities of 
the Catholic Church.. For instance, I find on page 40, 
of the grounds of Catholic doctrine, a work from which 
I have already quoted the following question and answer : 

" Q. Do Catholics pray to saints ? 

" A. If by praying to saints, you mean addressing 
ourselves to them, as to the authors or disposers of 
grace and glory, or in such a manner as to suppose 
they have any power to help us independently of God's 
good will and pleasure, we do not pray to them." 

From this it is clear, that the Church of Rome re- 
gards positive prayer, and dependance upon any creature 
as idolatrous and sinful. We accept this exposition, 
and state that the Reformed Churches protest against 
the Church of Rome, because its members are taught 
in their devotional works to present absolute prayer 
and praise to the Virgin, and to place absolute depend- 
ence upon her. 

I find in the litany of our Blessed Lady of Loretto T 
the following prayer : " We fly to thy patronage, O 
sacred Mother of God ; despise not our prayers in our 
necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O glorious 
and blessed ever Virgin." Is not this addressing 
absolute prayer to a creature ? 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 97 

My next proof is taken from the Encyclical letter of 
Pope Gregory the XVI., dated August 15, 1832: 
" We select for the date of our letter this most joyful 
day, on which we celebrate the solemn festival of the 
most blessed Virgin's triumphant assumption into heaven, 
that she who has been, through every great calamity, 
our patroness and protectress, may watch over us writing 
to you, and lead our mind, by her heavenly influence, 
to those counsels which may prove most salutary to 
Christ's flock. 

" But that all may have a successful and happy issue, 
let us raise our eyes to the most blessed Virgin Mary, 
who alone destroys heresies, who is our greatest hope, 
yea, the entire ground of our hope. (St. Bernard. Serm, 
de Nativ. B. V. M., sect, vii.) May she exert her patron- 
age to draw down an efficacious blessing on our desires, 
our plans, and proceedings, in the present straitened 
condition of the Lord's flock. We will also implore, in 
humble prayer, from Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, 
and from his fellow-Apostle Paul, that you may all 
stand as a wall to prevent any other foundation than 
what hath been laid." 

I adduce, as another proof some petitions which 
occur in a small devotional work, entituled, " H Tesoro 
dell'Anima," The treasure of the soul. It was 
printed in Naples in 1842, and is in general 
use throughout the kingdom of the two Sicilies, 
On page 70, we have the following specimens of 
absolute prayer : 

" most afflicted soul of the Virgin give me conso- 
lation. 



LECTURE III* 



" most adorable body of my dear Mother, comfort 
me. 

" most loving tears of the Queen of Paradise 
purify me. 

" Receive for thy servant me, who love and trust 
thee. In the hour of my death aid me, to the end, 
that with all the elect I may glorify thee for ever and 
ever. Amen." 

I now hold in my hand a work by Saint Alphonso 
de Liguori, entituled Le Pouvoir de Marie, published 
" with the approbation and under the patronage of the 
Archbishops and Bishops of Paris, Tours, Nevers, 
Lucon, etc." From this volume, which is well known 
and much read by the French Canadian portion of our 
community, I shall read two extracts illustrative of 
the teaching on this subject of eminent members of the 
Roman Catholic Church. 

The first is an absolute prayer to the Virgin : 

" O Mary, my refuge, how often have I not felt 
myself to be, through my sins, the slave of Hell ! You 
have broken my bonds, you have snatched me from the 
hands of my fierce enemies ; but I tremble from fear of 
again falling into their power, for I know that their 
rage has no repose, and that they expect me yet to 
become their prey. Holy Virgin ! be my buckler and 
my defence ; with your aid I am sure to conquer ; but 
grant that I may never forget to invoke you in my 
conflicts, and especially in this last, the most terrible of 
all, when the demon expe/jts to betray me at the last 
hour. Put you your name upon my lips and in my 
heart, and may I expire while pronouncing this name 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 99 



to the end, that I may find myself at your feet in 
heaven. Amen." 

The second is an account of a vision, whose teaching 
is neither more nor less than an exaltation of the power 
and mercy of Mary beyond those of our Divine Lord : — 

" We read in the Chronicles of the Franciscans, that 
Brother Leo, once had the following vision : 1 He saw 
two ladders, one red, at the top of which was Jesus 
Christ, the other white, at the top of which the Virgin 
Mary had placed herself. Several attempted to ascend 
by the first ladder, they mounted a few steps then fell, 
they again attempted it with no greater success. No 
one arrived at the summit. At this crisis a voice cried 
to them to turn to the white ladder, and having done 
so, they happily ascended, for the benevolent Virgin 
held out her hand to aid them.' " 

I know that my Roman Catholic friends will say, 
" Such expressions as those do not escape our lips." 
Some of them, I grant you, do not, others of them, 
however, are taken from devotional books which are 
in common use in this city. But, in respect of those 
petitions that occur in books, which, though you have 
never seen them, are sanctioned by the proper eccles- 
tical authorities, you surely will not venture to protest 
against these, you surely will not reject the prescriptions 
of your own Catholic Church, you will not surely 
disavow the sentiments which I have now read from 
the Pope's encyclical letter, you are bound by your 
own vows, bound by every principle of your church, to 
pay the same deference to these sentiments as you are 
intending to pay to the Pastoral letter which has lately 



100 



LECTURE III, 



reached this country from the sacred congregation, res- 
pecting subjects that relate to the government of your 
church. We hold you, my dear friends, and your 
church, to the doctrines which we have gathered from 
these works, freely circulated as they are in Catholic 
Countries, until their authors shall have been denounced, 
and the books themselves introduced into the Index 
expurgatorum ei prohibitorum. 

"We have then proved, satisfactorily, as I think, that 
Divine titles and works, are ascribed to the Virgin 
Mary by authority of the Church of Rome, and that 
the members of that church present absolute worship to 
her, and place an absolute trust in her. Against this, 
the Reformed Churches raise their solemn protest. 

First, — On the authority of the Word of God. 

And here I will read at once from the Douay Bible 
that passage upon which the Roman Catholic Church 
chiefly relies for the honor and reverence, as she calls it, 
for the adoration, as we call it, which she pays to the 
blessed mother of Jesus Christ. It is found in the first 
chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, at the 
twenty-eighth verse. 

The chief stress is laid upon the 48th verse ; " Be- 
hold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me 
blessed." Now I ask what does this prove ? Is it 
intended to be urged that this is a sufficient warrant 
for those honours which are paid to the Virgin ? The 
argument proves too much. " Blessed are the meek for 
they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the poor in 
spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." But let us 
turn to the Book of Judges. In the fifth chapter, I find 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 101 

the canticle of Debora and Barac, and I read the fol- 
lowing passage in the twenty-fourth verse : " Blessed 
among women, be Jahel, the wife of Haber." Am I 
then on the ground of this passage to regard Jael as 
worthy of religious reverence and homage ? And yet, 
so far as the text is concerned, we have as much autho- 
rity for the one as for the other. But let us see how 
Jesus, the Son of Mary, understood this passage. He, 
the founder of Christianity, knew what position his 
Mother should assume in the church which he estab- 
lished. He knew whether she was or was not the 
Queen of Angels, the Queen of Heaven, the Gate of 
Heaven, the Most Holy, the Seat of Wisdom, the Re- 
fuge of Sinners ; and if the Roman Catholic doctrine 
be true, I have a right to expect that, by both words 
and actions, Jesus Christ would intimate, to his disciples 
at least, the exalted reverence which was due to her who 
bare him. Let us then search the Scriptures whether 
these things are so. I turn to the Douay Bible, and 
open it at the second chapter of St. John's Gospel. I 
read in the first few verses : 

" And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of 
Galilee : and the mother of Jesus was there. 

" 2. And Jesus also was invited, and his disciples, to 
the marriage. 

"3. And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith 
to him : They have no wine. 

" 4. And Jesus saith to her*: Woman, what is it to 
me and to thee ? my hour is not yet come." 

I will give my hearers the benefit of the note which 
is subscribed : — • 



102 



LECTURE III. 



" What is to me, (&c. These words of our Saviour 
spoken to his mother have been understood by some 
commentators as harsh, they not considering the next 
following verse : Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye 
which plainly shews that his mother knew of the rniraoles 
that he was to perform, and that it was at her request 
he wrought it; besides the manner of speaking the 
words as to the tone, and the countenance shewn at 
the same time, which could only be known to those 
who were present, or from what had followed: for 
words indicating anger in one tone of voice, would be 
understood quite the reverse in another." 

But look again : what a comment on the words " blessed 
art thou amongst women," does our Lord Jesus Christ 
furnish in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel by Luke 
(ver. 27) % 

" And it came to pass : as he spoke these things 
a certain woman from the crowd lifting up her voice 
said to him : Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and 
the paps that gave thee suck." 

Not less forcible is the comment which he pronounced 
on another occasion, and which is recorded in the eighth 
chapter (ver. 19, 20, 21). 

" And his mother and brethren came unto him ; 
and they could not come at him for the crowd." 

u And it was told him *. Thy mother and thy brethren 
stand without, desiring to see thee. 

" Who answering said to them : My mother and my • 
brethren, are they who hear the word of God, and do 

V 

And now let me conduct you to a scene upon which 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 103 

angels gazed with holy reverence, and upon which many 
in this Church have often gazed in imagination with 
sacred joy and grief. I take you to the heights of Calvary 
on the day of the Saviour's crucifixion ; see your Jesus 
hanging upon the cross ; see there the blood streaming 
from his temples, from his outstretched hands, from his 
nailed feet; contemplate his fearful agony; 

See from his head, his hands, his feet, 
Sorrow and love flow mingled down ; 
• Did ere such love and sorrow meet, 
Or thorns compose so rich a crown ? 

See at the foot of the cross looking on with mournful 
anxiety, the mother of Jesus, and the wife of Cleophas, 
and Mary Magdelene, and with them the beloved John. 
Now mark the affection of the man Christ Jesus ! 
"When Jesus therefore had seen his mother, and 
the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to 
his mother, woman, behold thy son. After that he 
saith to his disciple, behold thy mother." What 
tenderness is here displayed ! what pity ! what kind- 
ness ! Who can but admire the filial care of the Son 
of Man, so strikingly exhibited at the very moment that 
he was bearing the sin of the whole world ! But is there 
any reference to the high dignity with which the 
Church of Rome seeks to invest her ? Does it not 
seem to you impossible that such an address should 
have been presented by the Lord Jesus Christ to Mary 
and John, were the Roman Catholic theory scriptural 
and evangelical ? 

Again, in what light did the Apostles regard Mary 
after the ascension of our Lord ? Did the Apostle John 



104 



LECTURE in. 



even, to whose care she was committed, and in whose 
house she dwelt, mention even her name, in any one of 
the three epistles which he wrote ? No. Did Peter or 
Paul refer to her in any way during any of then sermons, 
or in any of their prayers or epistles ? No. I put it to 
you, then, whether such an omission is at all compatible 
with that prominent place in the Christian ritual which 
she has received from the Church of Rome. We are 
commanded to pray, we are taught to pray, we have 
examples of apostolic praying, but always to God 
through Christ. This subject, however, of the invocation 
of saints will be discussed in the lecture on " The One 
Mediator between God and men." 

Second,— We raise our solemn protest against the 
Church of Rome for the worship which she pays to the 
Virgin Mary, on the authority, not only of the Word of 
God, but also of the Ancient Church and Fathers. 

It was about the middle of the fourth century that 
the opinion arose that in the days of Christ, and before 
his birth, there were in the temple of Jerusalem, virgins 
consecrated to God, among whom Mary grew up in 
vows of perpetual chastity. Her marriage with Joseph 
was declared to be formal, and he was regarded as an 
ascetic from his youth. This was Jerome's opinion. 
At this time a sect sprang up whose peculiar tenet was, 
that the Virgin Mary should be worshipped, and that 
religious honours should be paid her. The members of 
this sect were called Collyridians from Collyridae, the 
cakes which they offered to the Virgin. Whether it 
were possible for these Collyridians to exceed the Saints 
Bonaventure and Liguori in the homage which they paid 



TEE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION, 105 



to the Virgin Mary, I leave you to judge : it is at least 
evident that Epiphanius, and others' of the Nicene 
Fathers condemned them as heretics ; for in his work 
against Heresies, Book hi., he says : " Some persons are 
mad enough to honour the Virgin as a sort of goddess." 
Might he not have said the same if he had lived in the 
days of Liguori ? " Certain women, he continues, have 
transplanted this vanity from Thrace into Arabia, for 
they sacrifice a bread cake in honour of the Virgin, and 
in her name they blasphemously celebrate sacred 
mysteries. But the whole matter is a tissue of impiety, 
abhorrent from the teaching of the Holy Ghost, so that 
we may call it a diabolical business. Li them is 
fulfilled this prophecy of Saint Paul — ' Certain persons 
shall apostatize from the faith, attending to fables and 
doctrines concerning demon gods.' " After speaking of 
idolatry in Neapolis, the natives of which sacrificed to a 
girl whom he took to be Jephthah's daughter ; and of 
idolatry in Egypt, whose inhabitants honoured Pharaoh's 
daughter as a goddess, he further remarks : " We 
Christians most indecorously honour the Saints. Rather 
ought we to honour Him who is their Sovereign Lord. 
Let, then, the error of seducers cease. The Virgin 
Mary is no goddess. To the peril therefore of his own 
soul, let no one make oblations in her name." Surely 
the Father who penned these sentiments, would, were 
he now amongst us, lift up his voice against the incense 
and the prayers, and the gifts, and the homage which 
arc daily presented by the Roman Catholic Church — 
not to Mary merely, but even to statues and images of 
Mary ! 



106 



LECTURE III. 



Protestants are charged by their Roman Catholic friends; 
with dishonouring and despising the blessed Mother 
of our Lord Jesus, and with disregarding her memory. 
A note in the Douay Bible, appended to the forty- 
eighth verse of the first chapter of Luke, reads thus : 
" These words are a prediction of that honour which the 
Church in all ages should pay to the blessed Virgin. 
Let Protestants examine whether they are any way 
concerned in this prophecy." I reply, that Pro- 
testants are concerned in this prophecy. We do 
call her blessed among women. We cherish her 
memory in high estimation, as one of the most 
humble and obedient of all the Saints of the Most 
High God, and to Christians of every name we 
commend her example of meekness, and patience, and 
purity. Would that we all possessed the graces which 
were exhibited by the Virgin Mary ! How privileged 
was the beloved disciple to have been permitted to 
receive her into his own home ! Who would not with 
him have rejoiced to hear her speak, as she doubtless often 
did, of the Saviour's infancy, of His youth, of His man- 
hood. We go thus far with our Roman Catholic neigh- 
bours, but we cannot, we dare not, on so slender authority 
as that which they adduce, pay her Divine honours. No, 
my hearers ! we should imagine that we heard a voice 
from heaven interrupting every prayer, every bow, every 
curtesy, every prostration, interrupting the ascent of every 
cloud of incense, with the words of the text " See thou do 
it not, for I am thy fellow servant." We do not forget 
him who hath said : " I the Lord thy God am a jealous 



TEE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 107 

God." Amongst ourselves we see that jealousy is ex- 
cited by the surrender to others of a small part only of 
that love and service which we owe to one alone. What 
would avail the professions of attachment, the smiles, 
the attentions of a husband to a faithful wife, should 
she witness smiles and attentions conferred upon 
another ? "What would avail in the presence of a King- 
all the titles with which we should address him, and 
all the homage with which we should present ourselves 
to him, and all the obsequiousness which should mark 
our conduct towards him, were we to select a favorite 
courtier, and in the presence of the King himself 
address to that courtier the same titles, and approach 
him with the same obsequious bearing ? " The Lord 
thy God is a jealous God;" — think of this, and 
remember that he hath also declared, " my glory will 
I not give to another." 

And now I appeal to you, have we not clearly con- 
victed the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church of 
permitting the issue and the use of publications in 
which the glory of the Most High God is transferred 
to the Virgin ? convicted them too in the very face of 
a passage from their own version of the Scriptures. 
" I the Lord, that is my name, I will not give my glory 
to another?" Have we not proved beyond the 
possibility of a question, that eminent Saints of the 
Roman Catholic Church whose days are kept, whose 
works are admired, and to whom invocation is pres- 
cribed, have given to a creature the titles, the service, 
the prayers, the praises, which belong only to the 
Creator? "The Lord thy God is a jealous God;" 



103 



LECTURE III. 



See it manifested towards Israel when the golden calf 
was set up to represent the Lord, and worshipped with 
incense and offerings. See how the jealousy of the 
Most High was stirred, " Let me alone, that my wrath 
may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy 
them :" " The Lord thy God, is a jealous God :" See it 
manifested when Israel, in the days of Elijah, sought 
to mingle the worship of Baal with the worship of 
Jehovah ! " The Lord thy God is a jealous God." See 
it manifested in the history of Herod, who, when he had 
made an oration to the people, permitted himself to be 
called a god ; and who because he did not give the 
honour to God was forthwith struck by an angel of the 
Lord, and being eaten up of worms, gave up the ghost. 
And because the Lord our God is a jealous God we 
protest against the presentation of prayer or any other 
worship to a creature. Rather would we follow the 
command of Jesus, who taught us to pray not to his 
beloved Mother, but to " Our Father which art in 
heaven." Rather would we imitate those apostolic prayers 
in which the Father was addressed through the Son. 
The Trinity which we adore is not that of Jesus, Mary 
and Joseph, as some Roman Catholics have taught, but 
that of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The 
refuge of sinners to which we fly is no.t Mary, but Jesus 
Christ the Son of God, who alone " saves his people 
from their sins." The ladder by which we hope to 
ascend from earth to heaven, is Jesus ; the door through 
which we hope to enter into the heavenly city, is Jesus • 
with us Jesus and not Mary is the fountain of wisdom ; 
with us the Eternal Word and not Mary is the mirror of 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 109 



justice ; with us God and not Mary is the Comforter of 
the afflieted ; and we will content ourselves with the 
•exclamation of David, " Unto thee will I cry, Lord, 
my rock — unto thee God do we give thanks, unto 
Thee do we give thanks, for that Thy name is near Thy 
wondrous works declare." " Truly my soul waiteth upon 
Cod, from Eim cometh my salvation, He only is my 
Eock and my salvation, he is my defence." 

It will not avail for any Roman Catholic present to 
say, " I do not subscribe to those sentiments which you 
have this evening read respecting the Virgin Mary." I 
hold you to every sentiment that I can find in these or 
any other books which are sent forth by the authorities 
of your Church. You belong to a Catholic Church, 
your profession is that your doctrines, your ritual, your 
liturgies, your practice, are one; this is the boast of 
your great writer, Dr. Milner ; if then, they are one, 
they cannot be diverse ; if you are a Catholic, how 
dare you refuse to employ any authorized liturgy which 
I can produce ? Will you resist the authority of your 
Saints, your Cardinals, your Bishops, your Pastors ? 
If so, you are not obedient sons of the Church, 
and there rests upon you her bitterest anathema. 

Before I proceed to the next step in the discussion, I 
would explain that I have confined your attention to the 
adoration of the Virgin because she is the most emi- 
nent Saint of the Roman Catholic Church. From other 
devotional publications, ecclesiastically authorized, I 
could have adduced passages to show that divine titles 
and works are ascribed to other saints. This subject, 
however, will be more fully expounded in a subsequent 



no 



LECTURE HI. 



lecture. I therefore resume the discussion, reminding' 
you that we have shown, that to ascribe divine titles, 
attributes, and works, to any creature is idolatry ; and 
that the Roman Catholic Church has done and is doing 
this to the Virgin Mary. We have shown that to offer 
sacrifice, prayer or paise to any creature is idolatry, and 
that the Roman Catholic Church has done and is doing 
this also to the Virgin Mary. And now we take another 
position. 

That to bow down religiously, i. e. for religious pur- 
poses before images, pictures, or other representations, is 
idolatry. 

And here I wish to refer to those refined distinctions 
of adoration or worship which Roman Catholic Divines 
have promulged. The following extract from the work 
Ferraris Bibliotheca Prompta, will convey to you the 
Roman Catholic exposition of this graduated worship : 
(Elliott p. 156). 

" That it may be fully understood what worship or 
adoration is due to them, it is to be observed, that 
adoration is an act by which any one submits himself to 
another, in the recognition of his excellence. This is 
the common opinion. And this adoration or worship is 
civil or political, sacred or religious. Adoration merely 
civil or political, is that which may be offered to Kings 
and supreme Princes on account of the excellence of 
their station, or the excellency of human power which 
they possess beyond others ; as is mentioned in Scrip- 
ture, where some are said to have adored Kings. So 
David, falling on his face, adored three times. (1 Sam. 
n 41.) ' All the assembly blessed the Lord God of 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. Ill 



their fathers, and bowed themselves, and adored God, 
and then the King ;' (1 Chron. xxix, 20 ;) where, as 
you see, the same word adoration refers to God and the 
King ; although, to God the worship is latria, to the 
King it is only civil respect. Sacred or religions 
adoration is that which is offered to any one on account 
of sacred or supernatural excellence, as the adoration 
which is rendered to God, the blessed Virgin Mary, and 
all the saints. Of sacred or religious adoration there 
are three kinds ; namely, latria, hyperdulia, and dulia. 
The adoration or worship of latria, is that which is due 
to God alone, and is given on account of His uncreated 
supremacy and infinite excellency. The adoration or 
worship of hyperdulia is that which is due and rendered 
to the blessed Virgin on account of the maternity of 
God, and other excellent gifts, and her special super- 
eminent sanctity beyond others. The adoration or 
worship of dulia is that which is due and given to the 
saints on account of the supernatural excellence of their 
sanctity and glory. These are common opinions." 

I think we have a right to ask for the authority upon 
which these refinements have been introduced into the 
Christian ritual. We deny their Scriptural character, 
and require proof from our Catholic Mends of the 
existence in the age of the Apostles of such distinctions 
and gradations. But we return to our position, viz. : 
that " to bow down religiously, i. e. for religious 
purposes, before images, pictures, or other representa- 
tions, is idolatry." 

In support of this position we adduce — 



112 LECTURE III. 

First. The teaching of the word of God in the second 
commandment. "We have already read in the Douay 
Bible the following words : — 

" Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, 
nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or 
in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the 
waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, 
nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, 
jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the 
children, unto the third and fourth generation of them 
that hate me." (Exodus xx.) 

And here I must enter my solemn protest against 
those mutilations of this sacred decalogue which have 
been allowed, by some authorities at least, in the Roman 
Catholic Church. Several authorized Roman Catholic 
Catechisms omit the second commandment altogether, 
others I admit present it entire ; but one instance of 
mutilation which came under my own notice while 
residing in the Mediteranean, is worthy of more particular 
mention. On the lectern in the Cathedral of St. John's, 
at Valetta there are two brazen tables, representing the 
two tables of stone upon which the law was written in 
the Mount ; on these tables are engraved ten (X) distinct 
paragraphs, professing of course to be the ten command- 
ments which God gave to Moses. I will read them to 
you as I transcribed them into my memorandum book 
in the Cathedral. 

I. 

Diliges Dominum Deum ex toto corde tuo, ex iota 
anima tua, et ex tota fortitudine tua. 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 113 



II. 

Non assumes nomen Domini Dei tui in vanum. 

in. 

Memento ut diem sabbathi sanctifices. 

[From the fourth to the eighth, inclusive, there is no 
variation from our commonly received version of the 
decalogue.] 

IX. 

Non concupisces domum proximi tui. 

X. 

Nec desiderabis uxorem ejus. 

Here then is a direct mutilation of the ten command- 
ments. It avails not to say, that instead of the first 
commandment we are furnished with an inspired epitome 
of the first table — those laws, namely, which relate to 
God : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength." 
This is no part of the record which the Divine Being 
incribed with his own finger upon the tables that were 
delivered to Moses on the Mount. That record contained 
a distinct and elaborate proscription against idolatry, 
and this proscription, the Church of Rome has not kept 
prominently before the eyes of her members. Where 
images and pictures abound as they do in Roman 
Catholic Churches and dwellings, there is the greater 
need of writing upon every wall of church, college, 
convent, and school, the distinct commandment against 



114 



LECTURE III. 



idolatry, (call it first or second, I care not,) which I now 
quote from the Douay Bible. 

" THOU SHALT NOT MAKE TO THYSELF 
A GRAVEN THING, NOR THE LIKENESS 
OF ANY THING. 

" THOU SHALT NOT ADORE THEM, NOR 
SERVE THEM? 

I protest also against the note in the Douay Bible 
appended to the second commandment : 

" All such images or likenesses, are forbidden by this 
commandment, as are made to be adored and served ; 
according to that which immediately follows, thou 
shalt not adore them, nor serve them. That is, all such 
as are designed for idols or image-gods, or are worship- 
ped with divine honour. But otherwise images, pictures, 
or representations, even in the house of God, and in the 
very sanctuary, so far from being forbidden, are expressly 
authorised by the word of God." . ^ 

We are referred in proof of this to the erection in the 
tabernacle and temple, of the Cherubim. But were these 
figures of saints ? No, they were not even figures of angels. 
Besides, were they erected to be bowed down to by the 
people ? No, they were hidden from the public gaze — 
only the High Priest saw them, and that but once a 
year. Is this circumstance then of sufficient importance 
to authorize the multiplication of images, and pictures 
of saints, in evrery Roman Catholic Church and family, 
for the purpose, to say the least, of presenting hyperdulia 
or dulia to them ? That must be a weak and insecure 



THE ONE OBJECT OP RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 115 

system which rests upon so narrow a basis ! This note 
refers also to the erection by the command of God of the 
brazen serpent, and argues from this that worship may 
be paid to images. We deny that the serpent of brass 
was bowed down to ; it was looked at, and thus the 
Israelites were taught the simplicity of faith, but it was 
not worshipped, at least until some centuries afterwards, 
and then, so indeed I read in the Douay Bible, on this 
account it was destroyed ; 4 Kings, xviii. " He destroyed 
the high places, and broke the statues in pieces, and cut 
down the groves, and broke the brazen serpent, which 
Moses had made : for till that time the children of 
Israel burnt incense to it : and he called its name 
Nohestan." 

But let me direct you yet farther to the teaching of 
the Word of God on this subject. In Deut. xxvii 15, 
I read the following fearful commination : — " Cursed 
be the man that maketh a graven and molten 
thing, the abomination of the Lord, the work of 
the hands of artificers, and shall put it in a secret place : 
and all the people shall answer, and say : Amen." 
In Psalm xcvi, 7, it is said : — " Let them be all 
confounded that adore graven things, and that glory 
in their idols." And in Psalm lxxvii, 58, I read 
again : — " They provoked him to anger on their 
hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven 
things." In Numbers chapter xxiii, 21, it is said ap- 
provingly of Israel : — " There is no idol in Jacob, 
neither is their an image-god to be seen in Israel." And 
in Ezekiel vL 4, &c, we have the following terrible 
denunciation against idol or image worship : — " And 



116 



LECTURE III. 



I will throw down your altars, and your idols 
shall be broken in pieces : and I will cast down your 
slain before your idols. 

" And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of 
Israel before your idols ; and I will scatter your bones 
round about your altars. 

" In all your dwelling-places. The cities shall be 
laid waste, and the high places shall be thrown down, 
and destroyed, and your altars shall be abolished, and 
shall be broken in pieces : and your idols shall be no 
more, and your temples shall be destroyed, and your 
works shall be defaced." 

I know you will reply, " we do not make idols of these 
images." Now literally an idol is an image, and an 
image an idol. The latter is derived from the Greek 
word etdwXov, the former from the Latin word imago, 
each however being a literal translation of the other ; 
you say that you do not make idols of these, but I ask 
is not the obeisance which you present to them, as- 
profound as that which you pay to Jesus Christ Himself ? 
Do you not cross yourselves, and prostrate yourselves, 
and burn incense before these images? Do you not 
crown them, and make processions in their honour, as 
though they had a being ? But you ease your con- 
science by saying we do not present latria to these 
images. Ah, this refinement ! How difficult it is, with 
views so varied, to understand what Roman Catholics 
mean by the honour which they pay to images. 
Bellarmine himself distinguishes the Roman Catholic 
systems of image-worship into three classes. One 
class he tells us in the second volume of his works 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 117 

recommends the use of images, but rejects their wor- 
ship. They honour, they esteem, they respect, they 
venerate, &c. Amongst the supporters of this tenet, 
are the following eminent names, Thomassin, Bossuet, 
Dupin, Gother, and Lauciano. Another class, amongst 
whom is Bellarmine himself, honours images with an 
inferior or imperfect worship, but offers no latria or 
supreme adoration to the sculptured or pencilled 
resemblance. This class maintains the same opinion as 
the second Nicene council, which represented images as 
holy, as communicating holiness, and as entitled to the 
same veneration as the Gospel. This infallible council 
condemned those who used pictures only for the 
assistance of the memory, and not for adoration. The 
council of Trent professed to follow the Nicene in this 
view, but it is clear that they departed from it, for they 
expressly declare that these forms are to be regarded as 
altogether void of virtue. The names of Spondanus, 
Baronius, Estuis, and Godeau may be added to that of 
Bellarmine. The third class support the doctrine that 
the same adoration is to be presented to the image which 
is presented to the original. The likeness of God or 
His Son in mental conjunction with the original, is the 
object of latria, or supreme worship. This is the 
system of Aquinas, Cajetan, Bonaventure, Turrecrema, 
and others. Which of these systems are we to receive ? 
That of the council of Trent, or of Nice? Whose 
opinion are we to follow ? That of Bossuet, or Bellarmine, 
or Aquinas ? Where is the boasted unity of doctrine 
of which we so often hear ? — But will Roman Catholics 
denv that supreme worship is paid to the cross ? Listen 
f2 



118 



LECTURE III. 



to the teaching of the angelic doctor, Aquinas, which 
you will find in the third volume of his works, page 25^ 
" The cross is to be worshipped with latria, which is 
also to be addressed to Jesus and his image." The 
Pontifical expressly declares that " latria is due to the 
cross." Hence the prayers, absolute prayers, which in 
the Roman missal are presented to the cross, — " Hail, 
cross our only hope, increase righteousness to the pious, 
and bestow pardon on the guilty. Save the present 
assembly met this day for thy praise." — Roman Cate- 
chism, page 32. 

You will not be surprised if I ask, where, in the New 
Testament, or in even the Old, do you find correspond- 
ing practices ? Which of the apostles fell down before 
an image ? Who of the New Testament Saints invoked 
the cross ? Where in the whole apostolic writings do 
you find a religious veneration for relics ? Where is 
the authority for all this in the early Church ? It is 
wanting. Tertullian, in his book "contra coronandi 
morem". most severely inveighs against images, and 
adds these words, " St. John deeply considering the 
matter saith, ' My little children keep yourselves from 
images or idols.' " Origen says, " It is not only a mad 
and frantic part to worship images, but also one to 
dissemble or wink at it." Epiphanius, Bishop of 
Salamine, in Cyprus, who lived in A.D. 390, thus writes 
to John, Patriarch of Jerusalem, "I entered into a 
certain Church to pray : I found there a linen cloth 
hanging in the Church door painted, and having in it 
the image of Christ as it were, or some other Saint. 
Therefore, when I did see the image of a man hanging 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 119 

In the Church of "Christ contrary to the authorities of 
Scripture, I did tear it." Lastly, the worship of images 
was in the seventh century, forbidden by Pontifical 
authority. Gregoiy the great, writing to Serenus, the 
Massilian Bishop who had demolished images which 
his flock had adored, blamed the Bishop for breaking 
these images, but praised him in unqualified language 
for preventing their adoration. These similitudes, said 
he, are erected " not for the worship of any, but only 
for the instruction of the ignorant. Allow images to 
fee made, but forbid them to be worshipped in any 
manner." But why should I tire you with authorities 
and proofs ? We have seen for cm-selves the evils of 
image and Saint worship. Go into any Roman Catholic 
country, enter a village, converse with its peasantry, 
and what do you find ? That Saints, and especially the 
Virgin, are set before Christ ; that the true spiritual 
worship of the Most High God is lost in the worship of 
images. What is the testimony of our most intelligent 
travellers ? Why that Italy knows more of Mary than 
of Christ. This is the natural effect of that system 
against which we have this evening protested, and, 
though we would -do it with all kindness, we must and 
will faithfully declare our conviction, that the Church 
of Rome has fallen into the fearful sin of idolatry. We 
do not affirm that every member of the Roman Catholic 
Church is an idolator ; but he cannot resist the 
conclusion that so long as he remains within a Church 
that sanctions such practices as those which we have 
revealed this evening, he is responsible to God and to 
his own soul for lending his countenance to a sin which 



120 



LECTURE III. 



is abhorrent to the Most High God, and destructive of 
the social, the moral, and the spiritual interests of 
humanity. Arid we would say to every Roman 
Catholic who has felt shocked at the fearful sentiments 
which we have quoted from the devotional works of 
his Church, " Come out from among them and be ye 
separate and touch not the unclean thing." 

And now my beloved hearers you will be prepared 
to hear, that with us, The one object of religious 
adoration is the Most High God. Every modifica- 
tion and variety of religious adoration but that which 
is supreme, and every object of religious adoration but 
God, we absolutely renounce. Forasmuch as He will 
not give His glory to another, neither will we : and 
forasmuch as he will not give his praise to graven 
images, neither will we. Angels even, are finite, we 
worship only the infinite : Saints are creatures like 
ourselves, we worship only the Creator. We will wor- 
ship the Lord our God, and him only will we serve. 
His glorious majesty, his almighty power, his 
infinite purity, his unbounded wisdom, his overflowing 
love, all invite us to revere and magnify his name, and to 
prostrate our hearts in humility before him. The works 
of his hands, above, around, beneath, in all their mag- 
nificent glories, invite us to adoration and praise : The 
scheme of glorious redemption, the gift of his Son, 
invite to adoration and love : The offer of a free and 
perfect pardon, of adopting mercy, of regenerating 
grace, of a new nature, of victory over death, of a 
glorious and eternal heaven, invite us to serve and love 
and glorify our God. How great is Jehovah of Hosts, 



THE ONE OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS ADORATION. 121 

how glorious and mighty in his works, how profound 
in his providence, how rich and plenteous in grace ! 
" O come let us sing unto the Lord, let us make a joy- 
ful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come 
before his presence with thanksgiving and make a 
joyful noise unto him with Psalms. For the Lord is a 
great God and a great King above all gods. O come, 
let us worship and bow down let us kneel before the 
Lord our Maker. For he is the Lord our God, and we 
are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his 
hand." 

What is adoration ? Is it faith ? Let us trust in the 
name of the Lord our God ; let us believe his promises ; 
let us confide in his character. What is adoration ? 
Is it praise ? Let us sing with the Universal Church : 
" We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be 
the Lord." Let us adopt that beautiful paraphrase : — 

" I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, 
And, when my voice is lost in death, 
Praise shall employ my nobler powers; 
My days of praise shall ne'er be past, 
While life, or thought, or being last, 
Or immortality endures." 

"What is adoration ? Is it love ? O let us love the 
Lord our God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, 
and strength. What is adoration ? Is it to offer sacrifice? 
" I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, 
holy, acceptable, unto God, which is your reasonable 
service." What is adoration ? Is it prayer ? " Let us 



1S2 



LECTURE III. 



lift our eyes unto the hills, whence cometh our help ; 
our help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and 
earth." And, if we thus believe, and praise, and love, 
and pray, on earth, our adoration shall not cease here. 
No ! Transplanted from this world of sorrow and im- 
perfection to the world of bliss and blessing above, we 
shall surround the heavenly throne, the throne of God 
and the Lamb, and there we shall renew our acts of 
adoration ; with the elders and the Seraphim, with the 
Apostles and the Marys who surrounded the cross, 
with the noble army of martyrs and the saints, with all 
the host of God's elect and redeemed ones, we shall 
prostrate ourselves before the throne, and serve him day 
and night in his heavenly temple, ever more praising 
him, and saying, " Blessing and honour and glory and 
power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb for ever." 



NOTES TO LECTURE III- 



I. Originals of some ob 1 the quotations. 

1. Selections from the Italian Te Dei Matrem. 

" A Te, Madre di Dio, innalziamo le nostre lodi : * Te Maria 
Vergine predichiarno. 

" Te Sposa dell' Eterno Padre * venera tutta la terra. 

"ATe gli Angeli tutti e gli Arcangeli: * a Te i Troni e i 
Principati umili si inchinano. 

" A Te le Podesta tutte e le Virtu superne dei cieli * e tutte 
le Dominazioni prestano ubbidienza. 

" A Te i Cori tutti, a Te i Cherubini e i Serafini * assistono 
intorno esultanti. 

" A Te le angeliche creature tutte * con incessante voce di 
lode cantano : 

" Santa, Santa, Santa Maria * Genitrice di Dio, Vergine in- 
eieme e Madre. 

" Pieni sono i cieli e la terra * della maesta gloriosa del frutto 
del tuo grembo. 

" Te ii glorioso coro degli Apostoli * Te Madre del loro Orea- 
tore collaudano. 

" pia Vergine Maria, * deh ! fa che insieme coi Santi tuoi 
siamo della eterna gloria rimunerati. 

" Salvo sia per te, o Signora, il popolo tuo, * si che siamo 
fatti partecipi della eredita del tuo Figliuolo. 

" Sii nostra guida, * sii sostegno e difesa nostra in eterno. 

" In ciascun giorno, o Maria Signora nostra, * ti salutiamo. 

" E bramiamo cantare le lodi tue * cola mente e colla voce in 
eempiterno. 

" Degnati, dolcissima Maria, ora e sempre * conservarci illesi 
da peccato. 

" Abbi, o Pia, di noi miseiicordia : * abbi misericordia di noi 



124 



NOTES. 



" Fa misericordia ai figliuoli tuoi : * che in Te, o Vergine 
Maria, abbiarno riposta tutta la fiducia nostra. 

" In te dolcissima Maria, noi tutti speriamo : * difendici in 
eterno. 

" A Te le lodi, a Te 1' impero, * a Te virtu e gloria pei secoli 
dei secoli Cosi sia." 

2. Extract from " 11 Tesoro delVAnimaV 

" O afflittissima anima della Yergine consolaterai. 
" O addoloratissimo Corpo della mia cara Madre confortatemi. 
" O amatissime lagrime della Regina del Paradiso purifica- 
temi. 

<k dolorosissimi sospiri, o gemiti della Madre di Dio, con- 
pungetemi con vera contrizione. 

M appassionatissimi sensi della mia gran Signora sanate 
santificate li miei. spasirai, e morte dell'Impera trice de' 
Cieli, siatemi vera allegrezza, e vita. 

" O Maria mare di amarezza per la morte del Figlio defen- 
detemi dal peccato, e dall' inferno. 

" Ricevetemi per vostro servo, che ami, e confidi in Yoi. 
Nell'ora della mia morte ajutatemi, acrid con tutti gli eletti 
vi glorificbi nei secoli de' secoli. Amen." 

3. Extracts from " Le Pouvoir de Marie par Saint Liguori." 
" Nous lisons dans les cbroniques des Franciscains, que Frere 

Leon eut une fois cette vision : il vit deux echelles, une rouge 
au haut de laquelle etait Jesus-Christ, et une blanche, au haut 
de laquelle se trouvait sa sainte mere. Plusieurs s'efforcaient 
de monter par la premiere echelle; ils montaient quelques 
echelons, puis ils tombaient ; ils revenaient a la chaige, mais 
sans etre plus heureux ; aucun n'arrivait jusqu'au sommet. Alors 
une voix leur cria de se tourner du cote de l'echelle blanche ; et 
l'ayant fait, ils monterent heureusement, car la bienheureuse 
Vierge leur tendait la main pour les aider." 

" Marie, mon refuge, combien de fois ne me suis-je pas vu 
par ma faute l'esclave de l'enfer 1 Vous avez brise mes liens 
vous m'avez arrache des mains de mes tiers eunemis ; mais je 
tremble d'y retomber, car je sais que leur rage n'a point de 



NOTES. 



125 



repos, et qu'ils se flattent que je deviendrai encore leur proie. 
Vierge sainte, soyez mon bouclier et ma defense ! Avec votre 
secours, je suis sur de vaincre ; mais faites que je n'oublie jamais 
de vous invoquer dans les combats, et principalement dans ce 
dernier, le plus terrible de tous, que le demon s'apprete a me 
livrer & mon heure supreme. Mettez vous-meme alors votre 
nom sur mes levres et dans mon cceur, et que j'expire en pro- 
noncant ce nom, afin que je me trouve a vos pieds dans le ciel 
Ainsi soit-il." 

II. Other illustrations of Mariolatry, from " The Graces of 
Mary," published by " D. & J. Sadlier & Co., New York and> 
Montreal, 1853," bearing the imprimatur of "f John, Arch- 
bishop of New York." 

practices in honour of the blessed virgin. 

X. To choose the Blessed Virgin for mother and patroness, to 
offer oneself to her service, and renew this offering frequently 
on her festivals. 

2. To ask for mediation every morning and night, and run to 
her in every temptation and trial. 

3. To visit her churches and altars, and often protest to hesr 
that you lore her more than yourself. 

4. To recite her Little Office, or at least that of her immacu- 
late conception, frequently. 

5. To say the Angelus morning, noon, and night. 

6. To prepare for her festivals by a novena and some act of 
mortification on the virgils, &c. 

7. To honour her specially on Saturdays, as being dedicated 
to her. 

8. To pray for those souls in purgatory who have been most 
devout to her. 

9. To say the Magnificat and recite the Rosary daily, if pos- 
sible. 

10. To try to make others devout to this Blessed Mother. 

11. To read those books that treat of her glories, &c, and 
never to omit the usual practices of devotion to her. 

^ 12. To enter into her sodalities, confraternities, &c, and to 
give alms in her honour. 



126 



NOTES. 



13. To rejoice in her perfections, to thank her daily for the 
favours received through her intercession, to honour the saints 
connected with her, as St. Joseph, St. Joachim, Ste. Anne, &c. 

14. To pronounce her holy name frequently, and salute her 
by the Hail Mary, when the clock strikes. 

15. To reverence her pictures and images, and to have one in 
our oratory. 

16. To compassionate her dolours, particularly at the Passion 
of her blessed Son. 

17. To love chastity specially, and say three " Hail Marys " 
daily to obtain it through Mary, recommending to her at the 
same time our senses, &c. 

18. To ornament her oratories with flowers, &c. 

19. To offer to her, especially during the octaves of her fes- 
tivals, a crown of spiritual flowers, that is, of different acts of 
virtue performed in her honour. 

20. To invoke her daily for a happy death, and that she 
would specially assist us in our last hour. 

PRACTICE. 

Inquire what indulgences you have in your power to gain by 
prayers and other devotions addressed to Mary, and recite the 
following to obtain a happy death, to which an indulgence of 
300 days is attached : 

Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, I give you my heart and my life. 

Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, assist me in my last agony. 

Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, may I die in peace in your blessed 
company. 

PRAYER. 

queen of the universe and most bountiful sovereign, thou 
art the great advocate of sinners, the sure port of those who 
have suffered shipwreck, the resource of the world, the ransom 
of captives, the solace of the weak, the consolation of the 
afflicted, the refuge and salvation of every creature. Oh, full 
of grace, enlighten my understanding, and loosen my tongue, 
that I may recount thy praises, and sing to thee the angelical 



NOTES. 127 

4 

salutation, which thou so justly deservest. Hail, thou who art 
the peace, the joy, the consolation of the whole world ! Hail 
paradise of pure delight, the assured asylum of all who are in 
danger, the source of grace, the mediatrix between God and 
man. 



LECTURE IV. 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



The subject upon which I have to address you this 
evening is of infinite moment in the scheme of Christian 
doctrine, and is associated with the highest, because 
with the immortal interests of man. That all men are 
sinners, is a proposition whose truth I do not feel it 
my duty, this evening at least, to defend by any 
elaborate argument. Whether you view the simple form 
of Patriarchal religion, or the more august ritual of the 
Levitical economy, or the more beautiful and glorious, 
because more perfect system of Christianity, you 
discover that each had its origin in the fact of man's 
sinfulness, and his consequent estrangement from God. 
In each the doctrine of atonement holds a prominent 
place. From the time of the fall, men sought to pro- 
pitiate the Divine Being because they had sinned 
against him ; — Moses stamped the necessity of propitia- 
tion upon almost every rite and offering which, as the 
vicar of the Most High God, he prescribed for the 
guidance of the Israelites ; — and in the establishment 
of Christianity, it is expressly declared that its founder 
received his name from the fact that he should save his 
people from their sins, that he became the Lamb of God 
for the purpose of bearing away the sin of the world, 
and that the offering which he presented upon the cross 
was emphatically a sin offering. 



130 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



Whatever differences of opinion then we may enter- 
tain upon other subjects, on this I apprehend there will 
be no disagreement. Be we Protestant or Catholic, we 
shall be unwilling to deny that every one of us is a 
sinner against God, because every one of us has a heart 
which is, by nature at least, opposed to goodness, and 
that every one of us therefore needs mercy and forgive- 
ness from God. How important then is it for us to in- 
quire whether there is any ground to hope that mercy 
can and will be extended to sinners ; whether any 
feasible and palpable scheme of relief for sinners has 
ever been disclosed to the world. I solve this inquiry 
by reading out of the Douay Bible the last five verses 
in the 9th chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews : 

" For Jesus is not entered into the Holies made with 
hands, the patterns of the true : but into heaven itself, 
that he may appear now in the presence of God for us. 

" Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the 
high-priest entereth, into the Holies, every year with the 
blood of others : 

" For then he ought to have suffered often from the 
beginning of the world : but now once at the end of 
ages, he hath appeared for the destruction of sin, by the 
sacrifice of himself. 

" And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and, 
after this, the judgment : 

" So also Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of 
many ; the second time he shall appear without sin, to 
them that expect him unto salvation." 

These verses open to us the door of the glorious 
temple of the Christian dispensation. Looking through 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 131 



the vista of "by-gone years, we gaze upon the imposing 
ceremonies of the day of atonement. The high altar 
of the cross is erected in the midst ; a lamb without 
blemish and without spot is provided for a sin-offering ; 
the great High Priest of the Christian economy stands 
forth ; the representatives of a guilty world surround 
the sacred enclosure ; the solemn sacrificial hour arrives ; 
the altar receives the Lamb of God ; the precious 
blood of Christ flows down and stains the altar ; 
the victim writhes beneath the sacrificial knife, groans 
out, in deepest agony, " It is finished," and gives up 
the ghost ! Angels exult in heaven, devils tremble in 
hell, and on earth, the rocks rend, the earth quakes, 
the graves yield up their dead, and an astonished world 
exclaims, " Truly this is the Son of God, who hath 
appeared once in the end of the world to put away sin 
by the sacrifice of himself." 

The clauses in the text to which I invite your special 
attention are these : — 

" Nor yet that he should offer himself often. 

" now once at the end of ages, he hath ap- 
peared for the destruction of sin by the sacrifice 
of himself. 

" Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins 

OF MANY." 

Whether or not we are all agreed as to the origin of 
sacrifice ; whether all the members of the congregation 
are able to subscribe to the views of the preacher that 
animal sacrifices can only be accounted for on the 
supposition that they were appointed immediately by 
God, are questions which it is not now of importance to 



132 THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 

determine ; it is, however, of great importance to know 
that on some leading points in the doctrine of sacrifice 
for sin both Protestants and Roman Catholics are pre- 
cisely agreed. They believe, for instance, that the 
animal sacrifices of the Mosaic law shadowed forth the 
gospel sacrifice ; that whatever efficacy they possessed 
in the purging away of sin, was derived from Christ in 
whom they all terminated ; and they believe in the 
atoning character of Christ's sacrifice, that it was sub- 
stituted for the punishment of sin, and that it was 
presented as a propitiation for the sins of the whole 
world. I find in the Douay Bible, under the 12th 
verse of this chapter the following beautiful note : " By 
that one sacrifice of his blood, once offered on the 
cross, Christ our Lord paid and exhibited, once for all, 
the general price and ransom of all mankind, which no 
other priest could do." The following supplication 
taken from the service of the Mass contains the germ 
of this doctrine : " Lamb of God who takest away the 
sins of the world, have mercy upon us !" 

The importance of the doctrine of Christ's sacrificial 
death may be inferred from the marked prominency 
which it received in the epistles, conversations and 
sermons of the blessed Apostles. " Christ crucified" 
was, of all others, the doctrine which they exhibited ; to 
know this, to teach this, to impress this upon the atten- 
tion and hearts of the people, was their chief aim ; to 
set forth the Lord Jesus as bearing our sins in his own 
body on the tree, to proclaim that through Him the 
world has received the atonement, that He is the propi- 
tiation for the sins of the whole world, that through His 



THE ONE -SACRIFICE FOR SIN, 



133 



blood we have redemption, even the forgiveness of our 
sins, and that through the same blood our unrighteous- 
ness is cleansed away, was regarded by them as their 
chief business. These are truths with which they 
addressed men of all ages, ranks and classes, truths 
with which they interwove every page of inspiration. 

Let us pause for a moment to observe how impressive 
is the view which is imparted to the attributes of the 
Divine Being, by the doctrine of Christ's sacrificial 
death. Where have you such a manifestation of the 
spotless purity and inflexible justice of God as upon 
the cross, in the agonies and cries of the blessed 
Saviour ? Where have you such an illustration of the 
infinite Wisdom of the Most High, as in that scheme of 
redemption which was consummated by the sacrifice of 
Christ \ Where shines the love of God with so great 
splendour, as upon and around the hallowed precincts 
of Calvary, on whose heights the only begotten Son of 
God, by His eternal Father's appointment, suffered and 
died ? See how mercy and truth here meet together, 
see how righteousness and peace here embrace each 
other ; see how the rays of the divine glory are con- 
centrated in this sacred point, this crucificial altar, this 
spotless sacrifice ! Where else could you so effectually 
study the Divine character ? In the heavens ? No, not 
even with the modern aids and discoveries of astronomy ? 
On the sea ? No, not even with the wonderful appli- 
ances of steam ? In the bowels of the earth ? No, not 
even with all the light which geology has reflected upon 
the mighty power and infinite wisdom of God. Where 
else, but on the cross could you so effectually study the 



134 



LECTURE IV. 



divine characters ? On the mountains and the plains 
of the earth ? in her forests and her fruitful fields ? No ! 
"We learn much of God in the works of his hands ; the 
glories of creation reflect the glories of his character ; 
that His name is great His wondrous works declare ; 
but when you come within the circumference of light 
which is radiated by the cross, you behold an intensity 
of justice, and a depth of wisdom, and a majesty of love 5 
all too in glorious and perfect harmony, which no other 
sight could afford, 

" Part of thy name divinely stands 

On all thy creatures writ, 
They show the labour of thy hands, 

Or impress of thy feet. 

" But when we view thy strange design 

To save rebellious worms : 
There vengeance and compassion join 

In their divinest forms. 

" Here the whole Deity is known, 

Nor dares a creature guess, 
Which of the glories brighter shone, 

The justice or the grace." 

You will be prepared now for this general statement : 
Protestants regard the Sacrifice of Christ, 
finished upon the cross, and therefore once 
offered and never to be repeated ; as the one 
sin-offerino of the christian dispensation. 
The Roman Catholic doctrine concerning the sacrifice 
of Christ is that it is repeated in every celebration of the 
Eucharist or the supper of the Lord ; and that by a 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



135 



process which the Catholic Church calls transubstantia- 
tion, every priest of that Church offers in holy sacrifice 
upon the altar, the Lord Jesus Christ, offers Him to 
God, as completely as Aaron and his successors offered 
the sacrifices of the law. 

Against this view the Reformed Churches enter their 
solemn protest, which may be conveniently divided 
into two parts. — They protest against transubstantiation, 
and they protest against the sacrifice of the Mass. 
First, — They protest against the doctrine of 

Transubstantiation. 

This doctrine I shall not attempt to describe in my 
own language, because I know how easy it would be to 
colour and to misrepresent the views of others, where 
so much of mystery and incomprehensibleness is 
involved. The first description which I shall present to 
you is taken from Dr James Butler's Catechism, recom- 
mended by the four Roman Catholic Archbishops of 
Ireland. 

" Q. What is the blessed Eucharist ? 

" A. The body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus 
Christ, under the appearance of bread wine. 

" Q. What means the word Eucharist ? 

" A. A special grace or gift of God ; and it means 
also, a solemn act of thanksgiving to God, for all his 
mercies. 

" Q. What do you mean by the appearances of bread 
and wi»e ? 

" A. The taste, colour, and form of bread and wine, 
which still remain, after the bread and wine are changed 
into the body and blood of Christ. 



136 



LECTURE IV. 



" Q. Are both the body and blood of Christ under the 
appearance of bread and under the appearance of wine. 

" A. Yes ; Christ is whole and entire, true God and 
true Man, under the appearance of each. 

" Q. Are we to believe, that the God of all Glory is 
under the appearance of our corporal food ? 

"A. Yes ; as we also believe, that the same God of 
all Glory suffered death, under the appearance of a 
criminal on the cross. 

" Q. How can the bread and wine become the body 
and blood of Christ ? 

" A. By the goodness and power of God, with ivhom 
no word shall be impossible. Luke, i. 37. 

" Q. Are we assured, that Christ changed bread and 
wine into his body and blood ? 

" A. Yes ; by the very words which Christ himself 
said, when he instituted the blessed Eucharist at his last 
supper. 

" Q> Which are the words Christ said, when he insti- 
tuted the blessed Eucharist ? 

" A. This is my body — this is my blood. Matt. xvi. 

" Q. Did Christ give power to the priests of his 
church, to change bread and wine into his body and 
blood ? 

" A. Yes ; when he said to his apostles at his last 
supper : Do this for a commemoration of me. Luke, 
xxii. 19. 

" Q. Why did Christ give to the priests of his^hurch 
so great a power ? 

" A. That his children throughout all ages and na- 
tions, might have a most acceptable sacrifice to offer to 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



137 



their Heavenly Father — and the most precious food to 
nourish their souls." 

The Canons which were passed at the thirteenth 
Session of the Council of Trent are more full and explicit. 
I will read those which expressly relate to the doctrine 
of transubstantiation. 

" Canon (1.) Whosoever shall deny, that in the most 
holy sacrament of the eucharist there are truly, really, 
and substantially contained the body and the blood of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, together with his soul and 
divinity, and consequently Christ entire ; but shall 
affirm that he is present therein only in a sign and 
figure, or by his power ; let him be accursed. 

" (2.) Whosoever shall affirm, that in the most holy 
sacrament of the eucharist there remains the substance 
of the bread and wine, together with the body and 
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and shall deny that 
wonderful and peculiar conversion of the whole substance 
of the bread into his body, and of the whole substance 
of the wine into his blood, the species only of bread 
and wine remaining, which conversion the Catholic 
Church most fitly terms ' transubstantiation ;' let him 
be accursed. 

" (3) Whosoever shall deny that Christ entire is 
contained in the venerable sacrament of the eucharist, 
under each species, and under every part of each species 
when they are separated ; let him be accursed. 

" (4.) Whosoever shall affirm that the body and blood 
of our Lord Jesus Christ are not present in the admir- 
able eucharist, as soon as the consecration is performed, 
but only as it is used and received, and neither \ fore 



138 



LECTURE IV, 



nor after ; and that the true body of our Lord does 
not remain in the hosts or consecrated morsels which 
are reserved or left after communion ; let him be 
accursed. 

" (5.) Whosoever shall affirm that remission of sins 
is the chief fruit of the most holy eucharisf, or that 
other effects are not produced thereby ; let him be 
accursed. 

" (6.) Whosoever shall affirm that Christ, the only- 
begotten Son of God, is not to be adored in the holy 
% eucharist with the external signs of that worship which 
is due to God ; and therefore that the eucharist is not to 
be honoured with extraordinary festive celebration, nor 
solemnly carried about in processions, according to the 
laudable and universal rites and customs of holy Church, 
nor publicly presented to the people for their adoration ; 
and that those who worship the same are idolaters ; 
let him be accursed. 

" (1.) Whosoever shall affirm that it is not lawful to 
preserve the holy eucharist in the sacristy, but that 
immediately after consecration it must of necessity be 
distributed to those who are present ; or that it is not 
lawful to carry it in procession to the sick ; let him be 
accursed. 

" (8.) Whosoever shall affirm that Christ, as exhibited 
in the eucharist, is eaten in a spiritual manner only, 
and not also sacrament ally and really ; let him be 
accursed. 

The Creed of Pope Pius IV, which every Roman 
Catholic professes to believe, has the following article : 
" 1. I profess, likewise, that in the mass is offered to 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



139 



God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the 
living and the dead ; and that in the most holy sacrifice 
of the eucharist there is truly, really, and substantially, 
the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, 
of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and that there is made a con- 
version of the whole substance of the bread into the 
body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the 
blood, which conversion the Catholic Church calls 
transubtantiation." 

In Den's theology vol. v, p. 276, Maynooth edition, I 
read, "the word 'body' is received properly and 
strictly, forasmuch as it is distinguished from the blood ; 
comprehending the flesh, the bones, the nerves, &c," 
( — comprehendens carnem ossa, nervos, &c.) 

In the catechism of the Council of Trent, which Dr. 
Doyle calls " a most authentic exposition of the precepts 
of the Church, the Mass, and the Sacrament, as they are 
received by all Catholics," we have the following : " It 
is also in this place to be explained by the pastors, that 
there is contained in this sacrament, not only the true 
body of Christ, and whatever belongs to a true condition 
of a body, such as bones and nerves, but also a whole 
Christ." 

And lastly, in the Roman Missal I find the following 
on this subject of the consecration of the Mass : 

" If any one shall leave out or change any part of the 
form of the consecration of the body and blood, and, in 
the change of the words, such words do not signify the 
same thing, there is no consecration. 

" If the Priest vomit the Eucharist, and the species 
appear entire, he must piously swallow it again ; but if 



140 



LECTURE IT. 



a nausea prevent him, then let the consecrated species- 
be cautiously separated, and put by in some holy place 
till they be corrupted, and after, let them be cast into 
holy ground; but if the species do not appear, the 
vomit must be burned, and the ashes thrown into holy 
ground."* 

These extracts, which I have selected with honesty 
and care, will convey to you a tolerably correct idea of 
those doctrines of Eucharistic transubstantiation against 
which we protest. From them we deduce the following 
proposition, to each one of which Roman Catholics are 
bound to assent, unless indeed they choose to deny 
their own formularies and ereeds, and thus to do what 
Protestants have done before them. 

1. That when the bread and wine are first laid upon 
the altar, in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, that 
is before consecration, they are truly bread and wine, 
containing all the attributes, elements and constituents of 
bread and wine. 

2. That during that part of the service of the Mass, 
previous to the utterance of the words of consecration 
the bread and the wine undergo no change. 

3. That until every word of the form " Hoc est enim, 
Corpus' meum" is uttered, the bread and the wine 
remain unchanged. 

4. That if there is any defect on the part of the 
officiating Priest in the enunciation of the verbal form 
of consecration, the substance of the bread and wine 
remain unchanged, and the people receive and worship 
not Christ's body, but bread and wine. 

* See note at the end of this Lecture. 



THE OXE SACRIFICE FOR SIX. 



141 



5. That as soon as the words are uttered by the 
Priest, the bread is immediately transformed or con- 
verted into the body, the blood, the soul and divinity of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. 

6. That the wine also is converted into the body, the 
blood, the soul, the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

7. That this change, though real, is not evident to 
the senses ; that the remaining substances taste like 
bread and wine, smell like bread and wine, feel like 
bread and wine, retain the same form as bread and 
wine, and reflect the same colour as bread and wine. 

8. That notwithstanding this retention of form, colour, 
taste and smell, there is no particle of bread or drop of 
wine remaining upon the altar. 

9. That in the wafer or bread, separately, and in the 
wine contained in the chalice separately and equally, 
there is contained a whole and perfect Christ ; His 
body with its bones, muscles, nerves, flesh, veins, skin, 
hair, <fec. ; His soul with its will, its affections, its desires ; 
His divinity with all its attributes of power, holiness, 
wisdom and love. 

10. That every individual, good or bad, when he 
receives the holy Eucharist eats and feeds upon the 
body, the soul, and the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

11. That every particle even the minutest of the con- 
secrated bread, and every drop of the consecrated wine, 
as thoroughly and properly contain a whole Christ, as 
all the bread and the wine that may be consecrated by 
the Priest ; that indeed in every such particle, Christ's 
body, soul and divinity, are as absolutely present as 
they now are before His Father's throne. 

g2 



142 



LECTURE IV, 



12. That the body of Christ can exist in heaven and 
in ten thousand places upon earth at the same moment 
of time, that in each place a whole Christ exists, and 
yet that there is only one Christ in the Universe. 

13. That the body, soul and divinity of the Son of 
God may be vomited, and under these circumstances 
must be burned in fire, and the ashes thereof buried. 

14. That the body, soul and divinity of Christ may 
moulder and decay, and so " see corruption." 

I am sure you will all feel with me how difficult it is 
to discuss this matter with such seriousness as should 
ever pertain to sacred subjects, and to the house of God. 
You will see the danger to which one is exposed of 
treating ironically such propositions as have now been 
fairly deduced from Catholic authorities. You will see 
how strong the temptation is to meet them with the 
argumentum ad absurdum. I shall endeavour, not- 
withstanding, rigidly to maintain the principle upon 
which I set out, that of respecting the prejudices and 
feelings of my Roman Catholic friends. 

We protest against the teaching of the Church of 
Rome on the subject of transubstantiation. 

First, — On the authority of the Word of God. 

This word expressly declares that Jesus Christ has 
left the world, that he has gone to the Father, that he 
sitteth at the right hand of God ; and also, that from the 
moment of his ascension into heaven, to the moment of 
his second coming in clouds and glory, the Church 
would have no right to expect his bodily presence in 
her midst. 

Let me remind you of the expressions which occur 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



143 



in the text. These declare that Jesus Christ has 
entered into heaven itself, and that he now appeareth 
in the presence of God for us. Again it is said, " The 
second time he shall appear without sin, i. e. a sin offer- 
ing, unto salvation." I refer you also to the twelfth chap- 
ter of St. John's Gospel, in the eighth verse of which the 
Saviour is represented as saying, " For the poor you 
have always with you ; but me you have not always." 
Did Christ mean that his bodily presence would be 
■altogether removed from his disciples, or did he not ! 
If he did, then would his declaration be opposed in toto 
to the doctrine of transubstantiation ; if he did not, 
his words were vain and meaningless. Let us now 
examine the eleventh verse of the first Chapter of 
the Acts of the Apostles : " Ye men of Galilee, why 
stand you looking up to heaven ? This Jesus who is 
■taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as 
you have seen him going into heaven." And let 
us in connection with this, look at the twenty- 
■first verse of the third chapter of the same book: 
Whom heaven indeed must receive until the times- 
of the restitution of all things, which God hath spokes 
by the mouth of his holy prophets from the beginning 
of the world." Now I ask, can any language be found 
more explicitly declarative of the Protestant belief, 
that until Christ comes in his glory the second time, 
he comes not at all ? I speak of his corporeal presence. 
I will refer you also to a passage which the advocates of 
transubstantiation often adduce, and which is found in the 
twenty-sixth verse of the eleventh chapter of first Cor- 
ivth.mns • "For as often as you shall eat this bread and 



144 



LECTURE IV. 



drink the chalice you shall show the death of the Lord 
until he come? A very clear announcement on the 
part of St. Paul, that he did not understand the body, 
the soul and the divinity of Christ to be in what was 
eaten, or to exist in the chalice ; for how, in such a 
case, could he have used the expression, " until he come? 
The last Scripture which I shall adduce is taken from 
St. Paul's second 'letter to the Corinthians, and may 
be found in the sixteenth verse of the fifth chapter: 
" Henceforth know we no man after the flesh. And 
if we have known Christ according to the flesh ; but 
now we know him so no longer." But how could this 
be affirmed by the Apostle, if it were true that on 
every occasion in which he consecrated the bread and 
wine in the Eucharist, he ate and adored the body the 
flesh and the blood of Emanuel ? I ask with confidence, 
whether these passages, so far from favouring, do not 
completely oppose the notion that Christ Jesus comes 
in his proper person, comes in his flesh, his blood, his 
bones, his sinews, his nerves, comes in his true body, 
every time a priest of the Church of Rome celebrates 
the Eucharistic Sacrament ? 

But it is only fair that I should present to you the 
arguments which Roman Catholics themselves draw 
from the word of God in support of this wonderful 
theory. I will, then, quote from that great champion of 
the Papal faith, Dr. Milner, who in his work, " The 
end of the Controversy" p. p. 246, 247, speaks as fol- 
lows : — 

"Nothing proves more clearly the fallacy of the 
Calvinists and other dissenters, as likewise of the 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



145 



established church men in general, who profess to make 
the Scripture, in its plain and literal sense, the sole rule 
of then faith, than their denial of the real presence of 
Christ in the sacrament, which is so manifestly and 
emphatically expressed therein. He explained and 
promised this divine mystery near one of the Paschs, 
John vi. 4, previous to his institution of it. He then 
multiplied five loaves and two fishes, so as to afford a 
superabundant meal to five thousand men, besides 
women and children, Mat. xiv. 21 ; which was an evi- 
dent sign of the future multiplication of his own body 
on the several altars of the world ; after, which he took 
occasion to speak of this mystery, by saying, / am the 
living bread, which came down from heaven. If any 
man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever : and the 
bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the 
world. John vi. 51. The sacred text goes on to inform 
us of the perplexity of the Jews, from their understanding 
Christ's words in their plain and natural sense, which, 
he, so far from removing by a different explanation, 
confirms by expressing that sense in other terms still 
more emphatical. The Jews therefore strove amongst 
themselves, saying, Ho w can this man give us his flesh to 
eat ? Then Jesus said unto them : Verily, verily, I say 
unto you : except ye eat of the flesh of the son of man, 
and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. — For my 
flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. Yer. 
52, 53, 55. Nor was it the multitude ' alone took 
offence at this mystery of a real and corporal reception 
of Christ's person, so energetically and repeatedly 
expressed by him, but also several of his own beloved 



LECTURE IV. 



disciples, whom certainly he would not have permitted 
to desert him to their ovvn destruction, if he could have 
removed their difficulty by barely telling them that 
they were only to receive him by faith, and to take 
bread and wine in remembrance of him. Yet this 
merciful Saviour permitted them to go their ways, and 
he contented himself with asking the apostles if they 
would also leave him. They were as incapable of 
comprehending the mystery as the others were, but 
they were assured that Christ is ever to be credited 
upon his word, and accordingly they made that 
generous act of faith, which every true Christian will 
also make, who seriously and devoutly considers the 
sacred text before us. Many therefore of his disciples, 
when they had heard this, said : This is a hard saying : 
who can hear it? From that time many of his disciples 
went back and walked no more with him. Then Jesus 
said unto the twelve : will ye also go away ? Then 
Simon Peter answered him : Lord, to whom shall we go ? 
thou hast the words of eternal life. Ver. 60, 86, 67, 68. 

The Apostles thus instructed by Christ's express and 
repeated declaration, as to the nature of this sacrament, 
when he promised it to them, were prepared for the 
sublime simplicity of his words in instituting it. For 
whilst they were a,t supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed 
it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said : 
take ye and eat : THIS IS MY BODY. And taking 
the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying : 
drink ye all of this; FOR THIS IS MY BLOOD 
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, WHICH SHALL 
BE SHED FOR MANY UNTO THE REMISSION 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN 



147 



OF SINS. Mat. xxvi. 26, 27, 28. This account of 
St. Matthew is repeated by St. Mark, xiv. 22, 23, 24, 
and, nearly word for word, by St. Luke, xxii. 19, 20, 
and St. Paul, 1. <Jor. xi. 23, 24, 25 ; who adds : There- 
fore whoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of 
the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of 
the blood of the Lord — and eateth and drinketh judg- 
ment (the Protestant Bible says damnation) to himself." 
1 Cor. xi. 27, 29. 

On this passage I remark : 

Istly. That the author has given us no proof what- 
ever that the multiplied loaves and fishes with which 
Jesus Christ fed the five thousand men were " an 
evident sign of the multiplication of His own body on 
the several altars of the world." Who says so ? Does 
the Saviour ? No ! Do the Apostles ? No ! You cannot 
produce even the shadow of an evidence that such was 
the signification of this miracle. 

2ndly. That it is mere assumption on the part of 
Dr. Milner to assert that the words of Christ in John 
John vi., 52, &c, refer to the sacrament of the Eucharist, 
Again we ask who says so ? Do the Fathers ? No ? Do 
the Doctors of the Church ? No ! They saw plainly 
that the argument proves too much, for it proves that 
no one who does not eat the real flesh and drink the 
real blood of the Son of God in the sacrifice of the 
Mass, can have life. I rather interpret the words with 
St. Augustine, who, as we shall immediately see inter- 
preted them spiritually. I interpret them by the 35th 
verse. 

" Jesus said to them : I am the bread of life, he that 



148 



LKCTURE IV. 



cometh to me shall not hunger ; and he that believeth in 
me shall never thirst." How natural it was that now, 
having fed the multitude, he should speak of himself 
under the figure of manna, heavenly manna, of bread, 
living bread ; just as he spoke of himself under the 
similitude of water in his conversation at Jacob's well 
with the Samaritan woman ! Are we then, on a merely 
gratuitous assumption, to receive a dogma which Roman 
Catholics themselves acknowledge to be contrary both 
to our sensations and to our reason ? But what will 
my friends who hold this doctrine say to the statement 
which I shall now make and prove, that Dr. Milner in 
this interpretation is opposed by some of the most 
learned and illustrious writers and ecclesiastics of his 
own communion ? Thomas Aquinas expressly declares 
that the words mean " spiritual eating," [manducationem 
spiritualem]. Cardinal Cajetan declares that the literal 
sense of this passage would destroy the sufficiency of 
baptism, and such an interpretation therefore is incon- 
sistent with the Christian faith. Labbeus in the twentieth 
vol. of his works, printed at Venice in 1728, declares 
that the Constantine, Basilian and Trentine Fathers, as 
explained by Mauricius, Ragusa and Villetan, reject the 
literal, and acccept the spiritual interpretation. " Our 
Lord," say they, " in John's Gospel, points to spiritual 
participation in his flesh and blood by faith, of which 
all who believe partake in baptism, and without which 
neither child nor adult can obtain salvation." I ask 
then, which of these Catholic expositors am I to follow ? 
Dr. Milner or the sainted Dr. Aquinas, and Cardinal 
Cajetan ? Again, if this passage refers to the Lord's 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



149 



Supper as Dr. Milner here asserts, how is it that the 
literal words of Christ are not carried out by the prac- 
tice of the Roman Catholic Church? Christ says, 
" except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink 
His blood, ye have no life in you." Do the laity of the 
Catholic Church drink Christ's blood ? You reply, the 
blood is contained in the host ; but I keep you to the 
literal sense, and I affirm that the blood is not drank 
in the host ; yet, saith Christ, " except ye drink ye have 
no life in you." 

3rdly. In compliance with Dr. Milner's invitation, 
we shall now examine those passages in the New Testa- 
ment which speak of the direct institution by the Lord 
Jesus Christ of this holy sacrament. He bids us turn 
to the Gospel by St. Matthew : I do so, and in chapter 
xxvi, verse 26, 27, 28, 1 read as follows : — 

" And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, 
and blessed, and broke : and gave to his disciples, and 
said : Take ye, and eat : This is my body. 

" And taking the chalice he gave thanks ; and gave 
to them, saying : Drink ye all of this. 

" For this is my blood of the New Testament which 
shall be shed for many unto remission of sins." 

Mark ! the Saviour said, " This is my blood which 
shall be shed for many." Then was it not yet shed, and 
therefore was not in the chalice. Observe aiso, that after 
the words of consecration were pronounced, he said, " I 
will not drink from henceforth of this fruit of the vine 
until that day when I shall drink it with you new in 
the kingdom of my Father." Could the Divine Teacher 
have expressed himself thus, if the transubstantial theory 



150 



LECTURE IV. 



were orthodox and evangelical ? This account is 
repeated by St. Mark ; and, Dr. M. observes, in the 
paragraph which I have just read, is repeated by St. 
Luke ".nearly word for word;" not quite remember, and 
therefore it may be as well to mark the difference. I 
will read from the Douay Bible. 

" For I say to you, that from this time I will not eat 
it, till it be fulfilled in the kingdom of G od. 

" And having taken the chalice he gave thanks, and 
said : Take, and divide it among you. 

" For I say to you, that I will not drink of the fruit 
of the vine, till the kingdom of God come. 

" And taking bread, he gave thanks, and brake : and 
gave to them, saying : This is my body which is given 
for you. Do this for a commemoration of me. 

" In like manner the chalice also, after he had supped, 
saying : This is the chalice, the new Testament in my 
blood, which shall be shed for you." 

" Do this for a commemoration of me" is an expression 
which could scarcely be used if Christ were always 
present, corporeally present, in the Eucharist. " In like 
manner the chalice also, after he had supped saying, 
this is the chalice the New Testament in my blood." 
The vulgate says, " Hie est calix novum testamentum in 
sanguine meo" the more natural rendering of which is 
" This chalice is the New Testament, in my blood." Our 
Roman Catholic friends abhor the very notion of our 
Lord's having spoken here under a trope or figure ; but 
will they in this instance accept the literal exposition ? 
Will they admit that the chalice is the New Testament % 
And yet the Saviour as expressly declares of the chalice, 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



151 



that it is the New Testament, as he does of the bread, 
that it is his body. The last Scriptural account which 
we have of the institution of this Sacrament is from the 
pen of the apostle Paul who was favoured from the Lord 
with a special revelation on this subject. I will read it 
from the Douay Bible — 

" For I have received of the Lord that which also I 
delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night 
in which he was betrayed, took bread, And giving 
thanks, broke, and said : Take ye and eat : this is my 
body which shall be delivered for you : this do for the 
commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice, 
after he had supped, saying : This chalice is the new 
testament in my blood : this do ye, as often as you shall 
drink, for the commemoration of me. For as often as 
you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you 
shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come." 

" Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink 
the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of 
the body and of the blood of the Lord. 

" For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth 
and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the 
body of the Lord." 

In this passage the apostle informs us that Jesus 
said, " This is my body that shall be delivered," but 
the doctrine of transubstantion requires us to believe 
that the body of Jesus Christ was then already delivered 
•in the Sacrament. Again : " This chalice is the New 
Testament in my blood" Here, as in St. Luke's gospel, 
we are all obliged to regard the words of Jesus as 
figurative, for no Catholic believes the chalice to be the 



152 



LECTURE IV. 



New Covenant. But let us proceed, " For as often as 
you shall eat this bread /" This bread ! ! But how 
could the apostle call that " bread" which the Roman 
Catholic theory declares to be not bread, but the body, 
soul and divinity of the blessed Saviour ? " And drink 
this chalice !" This surely is a figure and a bold 
figure. Does the Catholic Church act upon the literal 
interpretation of this and oblige every priest to drink 
the chalice? 

These passages are the entire sum of the Scriptural 
authority upon which the Roman Catholic Church 
builds the romantic fabric of transubstantiation. I ask 
you to consider candidly whether they constitute a 
sufficient basis for so transcendant an edifice. Do 
these proofs suffice to convince you that a miracle is 
wrought in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, not above 
merely, but contrary to your reason, and to the evidence 
of your senses ? You say that we are not to interpret 
the words of the institution figuratively, while at the 
same time you yourselves are giving or are obliged to 
give a figurative explanation to some of them. Figures ! 
Is there not a figure in the words " This chalice is the 
New Testament or Covenant V Is there not a figure in 
the words, " As often as ye drink this chalice." Who 
then will contend that we have not the right to suppose 
that the Saviour spoke as much in a figure when he 
said, " this is my body," as he did in the words, " this 
chalice is the New Testament ?" Why, the Roman 
Catholic Church does not interpret the words, " this is 
my body," literally, for they say the bread is not merely 
changed into Christ's body, but into his soul, his divinity . 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



153 



" This is my body which shall be delivered for you" — 
That is, it represents this body which- is to hang upon 
the tree for your sins, this body of mine which is to be 
outstretched upon the cross for your iniquities. " This 
is my blood of the New Testament which shall be shed 
for many unto remission of sins" — That is, it represents 
my precious blood which is to be poured forth upon the 
altar of the cross — that blood which, flowing from my 
head, my hands, my feet, my side, shall constitute that 
fountain which is to be opened for sin and for uncle an- 
ness. 

Let me take you back to survey the circumstances 
which attended the institution of the Passover, that 
rite, or sacrament rather, which shadowed forth the 
Christian Eucharist. I will read then the eleventh 
verse of the twelfth chapter of Exodus : — 

" And thus you shall eat it : you shall gird your reins, 
and you shall have shoes on your feet, holding staves 
in your hands, and you shall eat in haste : for it is the 
Pnase (that is the Passage) of the Lord." 

Mark the expression — "It is the passage of the 
Lord." Was it really so ? By no means. The paschal 
lamb was the sign and the pledge to Israel of the 
passage of the Lord, or the passover, as we more usually 
designate it. " The blood, said the Lord, shall be unto 
you for a sign in the houses where you shall be, and I 
shall see the blood and shall pass over you." If you 
oblige me to interpret literally, I oblige you to interpret 
in the same literal manner when the Saviour says, " I 
am the vine," "I am the door"; or the apostle says, 
" this rock is Christ" : or when the son of God in the 



154 



LECTUBE IV. 



Apocalypse said to John, " The seven stars are the 
angels of the seven churches," and " The seven candle- 
sticks are the seven Churches." 

Secondly, — I shall refer you to the authority of the 
Fathers in support of the Protestant disclaimer. 

I think I have before referred to the value to be set 
upon patristric authority, viz. : that it is only worthy of 
confidence when it accords with the written word of 
God. There is this remarkable difference between the 
Scriptures and the Fathers. All the scriptural writers 
agree, they never contradict either themselves or each 
other, the Fathers do both. But forasmuch as the 
Fathers are of some authority in the Roman Catholic 
Church, and forasmuch as her ministers are forbidden 
to interpret any passage of Scripture except by the 
unanimous consent of the Fathers, it is only right that 
we should refer to them in any discussion of Roman 
Catholic doctrine. 

Now I candidly acknowledge that there are passages 
in the Fathers which seem to favour the doctrine of 
transubstantiation, but there are in the same Fathers 
passages which oblige us to regard them either as 
using figurative language when they thus speak, or as 
being manifestly inconsistent with themselves. 

St. Ignatius who was one of the earliest Fathers, has 
the following passage which is much dwelt upon by our 
Roman Catholic friends. Speaking of some persons 
whom he describes as heretical, he says, " They abstain 
from the Eucharist and prayer because they do not 
believe the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour 
Jesus Christ, which flesh suffered for our sin, and which 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



155 



flesh in His goodness the Father resuscitated." How- 
are we to understand this language ? Surely you will 
agree with me that the fairest way will be to let Igna- 
tius, if he will, interpret his own words. Well then, in 
his epistle to the Trilesians he distinctly disavows, as it 
seems to me, all belief in transubstantiation, for he says, 
" Establish yourselves, ev Ttiffret ij eari rj aapt, /eat ev 
ayairrj r; Effri to hi\xa rov Xpivrov in faith which 
is the flesh, and in love which is the blood of Christ." 
This language could not be employed by any one 
who subscribes to those Canons of the Council of 
Trent, which we read at the commencement of the 
discourse. I could transcribe passages from Tertul- 
lian, from Cyprian, from Clement of Alexandria, from 
Origen, from Athanasius, from Cyril of Jerusalem, 
and from Jerome, showing, that however strongly they 
spoke of eating and drinking the flesh and the blood of 
the Lord Jesus, they intended to employ their expres- 
sions figuratively and spiritually. But there is one 
Father who is spoken of by the advocates of transubstan- 
tiation as beyond any other " more copious and more 
nervous in explaining this doctrine, so that a child 
might understand him." I refer to St. Augustin. Now 
I hold in my hand the Homilies of this very Father on 
the Gospel of St. John. I turn then to the homily on 
that part of the 6th chapter of St. John's Gospel, on 
which so much reliance is placed by Roman Catholics, 
and I find so much in it that favours the spiritual inter- 
pretation of our Saviour's words that I am sorry not to 
have time to read it to you from beginning to end : — 
" This, then," says he, " it is, that He hath taught 



156 



LECTURE IV. 



and admonished us in mystical words, that we be in 
His body, under Himself the Head in His members, 
eating His flesh, not forsaking the unity of Him. How- 
beit, they that were present, the more part by not 
understanding were offended, for, in hearing these 
things they thought but of flesh, which they were 
themselves. But the Apostle saith, and saith truly, 
To be carnally minded — to understand according to the 
flesh — is death. His flesh the Lord giveth us to eat, 
and to understand according to the flesh is death; 
while yet of His flesh he saith, that in it is life eternal. 
Therefore even the flesh we must not understand after 

the flesh, as in these words following 

The words, saith He, which I have spoken to you are 
Spirit and Life: For, we have said, that what the 
Lord hath given us to understand in the eating of his 
flesh and drinking of His blood is, THAT WE 
SHOULD DWELL IN HIM AND HE IN US." 

I have referred you to both Scripture and the Fathers 
in support of the Protestant disclaimer against the doc- 
trine of transubstantiation. Let me now direct your 
attention, 

Thirdly, — To the differences of Roman Catholics 
themselves respecting this doctrine. It may, perhaps, 
surprise you to learn that in the Catholic Church where 
all is represented as unity — where " her doctrines, her 
liturgies, her practice, are," as Dr. Milner says, " one," 
there are four distinct opinions on the subject of tran- 
substantiation. 

The first opinion is that of the Dominicans, who at 
the Council of Trent differed from the Franciscans on 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



161 



this subject. They maintain the Trentine doctrine, that 
there is an annihilation of both the bread and the wine 
by the consecration of the Priest, and that they are 
transubstantiated into our blessed Lord's body and 
blood, which body and blood possess all the chief pro- 
perties of matter ; e. g. quantity, extension, visibility, 
motion, and locality. 

The second opinion is that of the Franciscans, who 
affirm that the substance of the sacramental elements 
remains unchanged, while the substance of our Lord's 
body takes its place. To this theological section belong 
Aquinas, Bonaventure, Cajetan, Gabriel, Varro, and 
many others. They further say, that Jesus in the host 
occupies no place, and possesses no locality. He fills 
no space. He has no parts, no length, breadth, or 
thickness. He cannot be seen, touched, felt, tasted or 
broken. 

The third opinion ascribes to the soul of Christ in the 
sacrament all the principal powers and operations of 
the mind. He possesses in the estimation of those who 
hold this opinion the same intellect and sensation upon 
the altar as he possesses in heaven. Like another 
human being he can see, hear, feel, move, act, and 
suffer. Some indeed have assigned the power of singing, 
and warming the officiating Priest's hands. This 
statement is such a tax upon your credulity that I must 
give you the very words, " Christum in sacramento 
posse videre, canere, audire, et facere et pati omnia, quaz 
caeteri homines pati et agere. Ut est in sacramento 
posse propriam ?nanum sacerdotum calefacere, et ah ipsa 
cole fieri" 

H 



158 



LECTURE IT. 



.A fourth opinion rejects this theory, and stripping 
the Son of God in the host of all sensation, asserts that 
he lies npon the altar as a dead body, " mortuum modo." 
He has, say its supporters, spiritual without corporal life. 

I have enumerated these differences of opinion to 
convince you, that notwithstanding the boasted unity of 
which we daily hear, there exist in the Church of Rome 
the most opposite opinions on even the distinctive 
doctrines of their faith. I have enumerated them also 
for the purpose of showing that there are in the Catholic 
community men of independence who reject many of 
these dogmas, a noncompliance with which secures for 
them ipso facto the solemn anathema of their Church. 
Would that they broke off every remaining link that 
binds them to doctrines which can be upheld by neither 
Scripture nor reason. 

Fourthly, — We protest against the doctrine of tran- 
substantiation because it is opposed to both reason and 
sense. 

There are many things both in nature and in revealed 
religion which are above reason, but there is nothing in 
either which is opposed to reason. The doctrine of the 
tri-unity of Jehovah is often compared by the Roman 
Catholics with that of transubstantiation, but it is absurd 
to constitute this sacred mystery, which all admit does 
not come under the cognizance of our senses, a parallel 
to that which is sensible and material. To make it a 
perfect parallel you must prove that Protestants believe 
the one Jehovah to have been miraculously spoken into 
three persons by an officiating minister. What parallel 
is there between the sacred mystery of the godhead and 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



159 



a miracle ? The Catholic Church affirms that by the 
enunciation of the words " Hoc est enim corpus meum" 
a great miracle is wrought by her Priests ; that indeed, 
bread and wine, which are laid upon the altar in their 
natural state, become by this simple utterance on the 
part of the Minister, the true body, blood, soul, and 
divinity of Jesus Christ. IS(ow all who understand the 
nature and office of miracles will at once see that it is 
the duty of the Church of Rome to prove this transub- 
stantiation. We ask to have it submitted to the 
evidence of our natural senses. For you to say it is a 
spiritual matter, and is not therefore to be understood 
through the medium of the senses, will be vain ; it is 
not a spiritual, but a natural doctrine ; it relates to 
matter ; to flesh, and blood, and bones, and sinews. 
When Christ cured the leper, the miracle was evident 
both to the man himself and to his friends, and the 
Saviour submitted it to the ordinary sanitary test, — 
" Go show thyself to the Priest ;" but when the Priest 
of the Church of Rome works this miracle it is not 
evident either to himself or to the people for whom it is 
wrought. When Christ at the marriage in Cana of 
Galilee, transubstantiated water into wine, the miraculous 
effect was manifest to the taste, the smell, the sight of 
those in whose presence, and for whose use, the prodigy 
was performed ; but when the Priest of the Church of 
Rome transubstantiates sacramental wine into the blood 
of Christ, it is not evident either to his taste, or smell, 
or vision. Where is the evidence, we ask again, that 
Christ's true and proper body, his flesh, his blood, his 
bones, his nerves, his sinews, lie upon the altars of 



160 



LEOTtiHE IV, 



Roman Catholic Churches ? If you analyse the host, 
will you find the component parts of bones, of flesh, of 
nerves, &c. No ! Roman Catholics tell us, " No." They 
acknowledge that the taste, the smell, the form, the 
color of the bread and the wine, are still on the altar, 
but that the bread and wine themselves are not there ; 
they have gone never again to return ! We say they 
have not gone, and thus throw the burden of proof upon 
the advocates of transubstantiation. The bread is there. 
Do you ask how I know ? I reply, there is the substance 
of the bread, there is the shape of the bread, there is 
the color of the bread, there is the smell of the bread, 
there is the taste of the bread ; and more than this, 
were you to form two wafers precisely similar, and were 
the officiating Priest to consecrate one and not the 
other, that Priest himself could not detect by examination 
which was the wafer, and which the body of Christ. 
The wine is there. You ask me how I know ? I reply, 
there are the smell, the taste, the color, the every pro- 
perty, indeed, of wine. My Roman Catholic friend 
says, it is not wine, it is blood. Now let me ask him, 
does it contain the properties of blood ? Does blood 
contain alcohol ? Will blood intoxicate ? No. But if 
I can prove that the intoxicating quality of the wine 
remains after consecration, I go. far, I think, towards 
proving that it is not blood, and that the nature of the 
wine has undergone no change. I read in St. Paul's 
first Epistle to the Corinthians, that certain members 
of that Church when they partook of this holy sacra- 
ment became drunken — they drank to excess. Was it 
blood then that they drank ? Was it a whole Christ 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 161 

that they partook ? Did the body and blood of Christ 
throw those Corinthians into a state of intoxication ? 
You reject the blasphemy — every Catholic rejects it. 
And yet if the canons of the Council of Trent are true, 
the conclusion is irresistible that these converts became 
inebriate by drinking, in the chalice of the Holy 
Sacrament, the blood, the body, the soul, and the 
divinity of the blessed and glorious Saviour ! 

We demand that the miracle be submitted to the 
ordinary test. Moses, by the power of God transub- 
stantiated the waters of the Nile into blood. How did 
the people — how did the lawgiver himself know that 
the miracle was wrought ? By the fact that the tran- 
substantiated water lost all the properties of water. By 
their senses they determined that the smell, the color, 
the specific gravity were changed. The Catholic 
Priest forbids an investigation of the Corpus Chris ti. 
How different is this from the spirit and condescension 
of Him whose servant he professes to be. After the 
resurrection of Christ there was found amongst the 
eleven disciples, one who was rather more faithless than 
the rest. He could not be brought to believe that the 
Saviour was risen from the dead. He must have the 
evidence of his senses, he must put his fingers into the 
print of the Saviour's nails, he must thrust his hand into 
His side. How did Jesus meet him at their first inter- 
view ? Did he upbraid him ? No. Did he command 
him to stand at a distance and to believe at his word ? 
No. How condescendingly did he meet his infirmity ! 
" Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands, reach 
hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be not 



162 



LECTURE IV. 



faithless but "believing." We are unbelievers in the 
doctrine of transubstantiation, we approach a Roman 
Catholic altar, and we say to the ministering Priest, we 
cannot believe that our blessed Jesus in his body, 
his soul, his divinity, rests upon that altar. What is 
his reply ? Does he say draw near, and examine for 
yourself ? No. He forbids our approach, he frowns 
upon our unbelief, he commands us to take the word of 
the Church for it. How unlike the son of God ! Why 
does he not say, Reach hither your hand, behold the 
head, the feet, the bones, the flesh of Jesus ? Reach 
hither your fingers, behold here is Christ in his power, 
glory, divinity ? My dear friends, do you expect me to 
subscribe, do you yourselves subscribe to the declaration 
of Pope Urban, who in the midst of a Roman Council 
said, " The hands of the Pontiff are raised to an emi- 
nence granted to none of the angels, of creating God, 
the creator of all things, and of offering him up for 
the salvation of the whole world V 3 Do you expect me 
to believe what Cardinal Biel said of himself and all 
Priests, " He that created me, gave me *if it be lawful 
to tell, to create himself; Mary once conceived the 
Son of God and the Redeemer of the world; while 
the priest daily calls into existence the same deity ?" 
Do you expect me to receive the doctrine that I am 
to adore that which I eat, and that I am to eat that 
which I adore ? Do you expect me to believe, that 
the Lord Jesus Christ in the sacrament, body, soul and 
divinity, may moulder and become corrupt, may be 
carried away and eaten by a mouse ? My reply is, " I 
cannot." Where, I ask, in the Word of God, do you 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 163 

find authority for all this ? Where is the command 
for the adoration of the host ? The apostles, who were „ 
quite as jealous for the glory of Christ as any Roman 
Catholic priest, made no provision for the protection of 
the host, the body of Christ, after the celebration of 
the Eucharist. Your reply is, that "all things are 
possible to God." This I deny ; God cannot lie — 
falsehood, therefore, is impossible to him. He cannot 
sin — He cannot act inconsistently with his own charac- 
ter and nature, He cannot perpetrate an absurdity. I 
do not deny that the Divine Being can convert bread 
into a human body, but the doctrine of transubstan- 
tiation requires me to believe that this conversion is 
effected in a body, without any change in appearance, 
color, shape, solidity, or extension. Then again I am 
required to believe that this bread is transubstantiated 
into the very same body that is in heaven, and that 
remains in heaven ; yea, and that this is repeated ten 
thousand times every day; so that one Christ, and 
only one, is, at the same time, body, soul, and divinity, 
in ten thousand places. 

Oh, brethren ! fly with me from these contradictions, 
from this materialism, to the pure spirituality of Christ's 
gospel. Here, in his own word, here in his own ordi- 
nances, let our souls feed upon Christ by faith. He is 
the living manna, let us go forth over the gospel plains, 
and with the hands of faith let us gather up this divine, 
this heavenly food, and let us eat that we may live for 
«ver ; and while thus employed, let us remember that 
he is that living water whose streams make glad the 
world's wilderness, and of that water let us freely drink 



164 



LECTURE IW 



that we may live for ever. Here is food for the hungry, 
here are streams for the thirsty spirit I "Who art thou 
that desirest this divine food ? Blessed art thou ; for 
thou shalt he filled ; Blessed art thou, for whoso, saith 
Christ " eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath 
eternal life, and I will, raise him up at the last day." 

Secondly, — It will not demand a lengthened discus- 
sion, or an elaborated argument, to sustain the other pail 
of the protest which we recorded this evening, that, 
namely, which relates to the sacrifice of the mass. 
And here, I ask, what is the sacrifice of the mass without 
transubstantiation ? It is a gorgeous and magnificent 
temple falling into ruins, because it has no foundation. 
Had we, however, failed to maintain our protest against 
transubstantiation, we should yet have been prepared 
to prove that the sacrifice of the mass is unseriptural 
and unnecessary. 

My first duty will be to present from authorized 
standards a brief view of the doctrine of the Komari 
Catholic Church on this subject. 

Listen then to one or two Canons of the Council of 
Trent 

"If any one shall say that the mass is only a 
service of praise and thanksgiving, or a bare commem- 
oration of the sacrifice made on the cross, and not a 
propitiatory offering ; or that it only benefits him who 
receives it, and ought not to be offered for the living 
and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfactions, and 
other necessities ; let him be accursed." 

Attend also to the following sentences from the 
Catechism of the Council of Trent : — 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 165 

" We confess that the sacrifice of the mass is one 
and the same sacrifice with that upon the cross : 
the victim is one and the same Christ Jesus, who 
offered himself, once only, a bloody sacrifice on the 
altar of the cross. The bloody and unbloody victim is 
still one and the same, and the oblation of the cross is 
daily renewed in the eucharistic sacrifice, in obedience 
to the command of our Lord, ' This do for a commem- 
oration of me.' The Priest is also the same Christ 
our Lord : the Ministers who offer this sacrifice conse- 
crate the holy mysteries not in their own but in the 
person of Christ. This the words of consecration de- 
clare : the Priest does not say, 1 This is the body of 
Christ,' but, ' This is my body ;' and thus invested with 
the character of Christ, he changes the substance of 
the bread and wine, into the substance of his real body 
and blood. That the holy sacrifice of the mass, there- 
fore, is not only a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, 
or a commemoration of the sacrifice of the cross, but 
also a sacrifice of propitiation, by which God is appeased 
and rendered propitious, the Pastor will teach as a 
dogma defined by the unerring authority of a General 
Council of the Church. As often as the commemora- 
tion of this victim is celebrated, so often is the work 
of our salvation promoted, and the plenteous fruits of 
that bloody victim flow in upon us abundantly through 
this unbloody sacrifice." 

Read with me, lastly, the following extracts from 
the Roman Missal concerning the defective and non- 
defective offering of the mass : 

" Mass may be defective in the Matter to be conse- 
h2 



166 



LECTURE IV. 



crated, in the Form to be used, and in the officiating 
Minister. For if in any of these, there be any defect, 
viz : due matter, form, with intention, and priestly 
orders in the celebrator, no sacrament is consecrated. 

"If any one shall leave out or. change any part of 
the form of the consecration of the body and blood, 
and in the change of the words, such words do not 
signify the same thing, there is no consecration." 

fflrst,—~We contend that this doctrine is not sus- 
tained by Scripture. The chief ground of the Protestant 
disclaimer is to be found in the use of the word pro- 
pitiatory. Protestants believe with Catholics, that 
sacrifices are daily offered unto God in the church. It 
is not to be questioned, that, in this congregation there 
have been offered to the Divine Being this evening 
sacrifices which he has accepted. One penitent tear, 
one contrite sigh is to God an acceptable offering, for 
" a broken and a contrite heart, God, thou wilt not 
despise." One fervent song of praise, one simple, 
unadorned supplication, one fervent breathing after 
God, is a sacrifice which he receives. But does the 
Word of God lead you to suppose that there is daily 
offered in the Christian Church a propitiatory sacrifice 
for sins ? It has seemed to me in investigating this 
awful subject, that if St. Paul had intended to produce 
a simply great and conclusive polemical pamphlet 
against the sacrifice of the mass, he could not have 
done this more effectually than he has done in his 
Epistle to the Hebrews. The very note from the Douay 
Bible, on the twelfth verse of the ninth chapter, is a 
standing refutation of the practice, and a convincing 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 



167 



argument that the language of Paul, taken in its natural 
sense, is opposed to it. "By that one sacrifice of 
his blood, once offered on the cross, Christ our Lord 
paid and exhibited, once for all, the general price and 
ransom of all mankind ; which no other priest could 
do." A Protestant commentator could not have spoken 
more decisively. 

Listen again to two other notes which follow : — 
" Christ shall never more offer himself in sacrifice, in 
that violent, painful and bloody manner, nor can there 
he any occasion for it ; since by that one sacrifice upon 
the cross, he has furnished the full ransom, redemption, 
and remedy for all the sins of the world. But this 
hinders not that he may offer himself daily in the 
sacred mysteries in an unbloody manner, for the daily 
application of that one sacrifice of redemption to our 
souls." 

" To exhaust That is, to empty or draw out to the 
very bottom, by a plentiful and perfect redemption." 

One of the passages which Roman Catholics urge 
in favour of the sacrifice of the mass is Malachi i, 11. 
u For from the rising of the sun even to the going 
down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in 
every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to 
my name a clean oblation: for my name is great 
among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts " The 
note on this text asserts that this clean oblation is 
" the preeious body and blood of Christ in the 
Eucharistic sacrifice," but it does not state the authority 
^ipon which this assertion is made. Is it possible, if 
■the sacrifice of the mass was intended to be a standing 



168 



LECTURE IV. 



institution of the Church, that there should be found no 
direction for its celebration. If going to mass was 
designed to be so large and important a part of Christi- 
anity as our Roman Catholic friends seem to think, you 
must acknowledge it to be inconceivable that in the 
epistle to the Hebrews which treats of the Christian 
ritual, there should be no account or explanation of it 
given, and no rules respecting it laid down, for the 
guidance of Christian Ministers. Do the Sacred 
Scriptures sanction, in any way, the sacrifice of the 
mass ? Christ certainly made no elevation of the host ; 
and the apostles did not worship the sacrament. In 
apostolic times there were none of the constituents of a 
sacrifice in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. 
Cardinal Bellarmine freely confesses all this, for he 
says, " The oblation which follows consecration belongs 
to the integrity of the sacrament and not to its essence : 
this," he continues, " is proved by our Lord not having 
made any oblation, nor even the apostles in the begin- 
ning, as we have demonstrated from Gregory." The 
Jesuit, Salmeron, in the first book of his commentaries 
on St. Paul's epistles gives an enumeration of certain 
unwritten traditions in which he mentions the ecclesias- 
tical hierarchy, i. e. the Papal Monarchy, the mass, the 
mode of sacrifice, and the tradition that Jesus offered a 
sacrifice in bread and wine. Cardinal Baronius makes 
a similar confession. We do not wonder that these 
learned men abandoned the plea for the mass on Scrip- 
tural authority. Paul in his epistle to the Romans 
says, " For in that he died to sin, he died once." In 
that to the Hebrews, " In the which will we arc 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 169 

sanctified by the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ 
once ;" " For by one oblation he hath perfected for 
ever them that are sanctified." Then where is the 
necessity for the perpetration of this sacrifice. The 
Catholic Church says that the unbloody sacrifice of the 
mass is a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the dead 
and living ; now, I say, that it therefore lacks the main 
characteristic of a propitiatory sacrifice, for the apostle 
Paul, as I read in the Douay Bible, says in this very 
chapter, that " without shedding of blood there is no 
remission." 

Secondly, — This doctrine and practice are not sus- 
tained by remote antiquity. I give you one passage 
from Justin Martyr's celebrated description of a Sab- 
bath service in -a Christian congregation contained 
in his apology for Christians. It may be found in the 
second volume of his works, Paris edition, page 9*7. 

" Then the bread and the cup of the water and of the 
wine mixed with it, is offered to the president of the 
brethren, and he, taking it, offers up praise and glory 
to the Father of all, in the name of the Son and of the 
Holy Spirit, and at some length he performs a thanks- 
giving, for having been honoured with these things by 
him. When he has finished the prayers and the thanks- 
giving, all the people present, joyfully cry out, Amen. 
Amen signifies, in the Hebrew tongue, so be it. But 
the president having returned thanks, and all the people 
having joyfully cried out, those who are called by us 
deacons, give to each of those who are present, a portion 
of the bread and the wine and the water, over which a 
thanksgiving has been performed, and they carry away 



lECTtJRE IV. 



some for those who are not present. And this food 
is called by us the Eucharist, of which no one is 
permitted to partake but he who believes that the things 
taught to us are true, and who has been washed for the 
remission of sins and for regeneration, and who lives as 
Christ has enjoined. For we do not receive these things 
as common bread, or common drink ; but as the incar- 
nate Jesus became, by the Word of God, Christ our 
Saviour, and received flesh and blood for our salvation, 
so also we have been taught that the food which is 
made the Eucharist by the prayer, according to his 
word, by which our flesh and blood are nourished, is 
both the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus. For 
the apostles, in the histories which they have written, 
which are called gospels, have thus recorded that Jesus 
commanded them ; that he taking bread and giving 
thanks, said, ' Do this in remembrance of me, this is 
my body ;' and that he, in like manner, taking the cup 
and giving thanks, said, ' This is my blood.' And, in 
all that we offer, we bless the Maker of all things by his 
Son Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit. And on the 
day that is called Sunday, there is an assembly in the 
same place, of those who "dwell in towns or in the 
country, and the histories of the apostles and the writ- 
ings of the prophets are read, whilst the time permits ; 
then, the reader ceasing, the president verbally admon- 
ishes and exhorts to the imitation of those good things. 
Then we all rise in common and offer prayers, and, as 
we have already said, when we have finished our prayers, 
bread and wine and water are offered, and the president, 
in like manner, offers prayers and thanksgivings as far 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 171 

as it is in his power to do so, and the people joyfully 
cry out, saying, Amen. And the distribution and 
communication is to each of. those who have returned 
thanks, and it is sent by the deacons to those who are 
not present. Those who are rich and willing, 
each according to his own pleasure contributes what he 
pleases, and what is thus collected is put away by the 
president, and he assists the orphans, and widows, and 
those who, through sickness, or any other cause, are 
destitute, and also those who are in bondage, and those 
who are strangers journeying, and in short, he aids all 
those who are in want. But we all meet in common on 
Sunday, because it is the first day in the which God, 

who made the 

world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day 
arose from the dead." 

Roman Catholics sometimes taunt us with the 
assertion that there is no true Church amongst us, 
because we have no altar, no priest, no sacrifice. No 
altar ! We have an altar whose foundations are the 
glorious attributes of God, cemented together by divine 
love, whose superstructure is the world ; an altar around 
which shines the radiant glory of the everlasting 
covenant ! No altar ! We have an altar which is 
stained with the precious blood of God's eternal Son, 
and upon which has descended the approving fire of 
heaven. We have an altar. Sometimes we find it 
on the cragged rock, at others in the groves of the 
mantled forest; sometimes on the silent beach, at 
others on the top of the ocean wave ; it may not be 
adorned with the gold and the silver, the tapestry and 



172 



LECTURE IV. 



the paintings, the statues and the candelabra which deck 
the altars of our Roman Catholic friends ; but all nature 
adorns our -altar; the glorious firmament is its over-hang- 
ing canopy, and the candles which have been lit around 
it are those orbs of light which illumine day and night. 
"Wherever the true Christian goes he finds an altar. 
Sometimes he is like Abraham, who found an altar in 
the vale of Mamre ; or like Isaac, whose evening altar 
were the fields in which he prayed. Sometimes he is 
like Jacob whose pillow of stone became his altar ; or 
like David, when he fled from Saul and found an altar 
in the caves of the wilderness ; or like Solomon, who 
erected his altar in a magnificent edifice. "With Paul 
the Christian sometimes finds his altar on the wreck of 
a ship, or with Brainerd, in the forests of America 
within sound of the Indian war whoop, or with Judson, 
on Eastern sands and plains. The Christian may be 
on the mountain top, or in the busy town ; he may be 
on the lonely island, or in the peopled city ; he may 
find himself gliding down the flowing river, or tossed 
upon the rolling billow, — " 'Tis nought to him," he has 
an altar, 

" Since God is ever present, ever felt, 

" In the dark waste as in the city full : 

" And where He vital breathes there must be joy." 

Sometimes we are told that we have no priest. No 
priest, while Jesus lives in heaven ! Jesus who once for all 
hath offered himself without spot to God, for our sins 
and for our uncleanness ! Jesus who hath passed within 
the glorious vail of the temple of the Universe not 
without blood, Jesus who hath presented himself before 



THE ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 1T3 

the throne of the Eternal with a propitiatory sacrifice ! 
No priest ! "While He is there who is touched with 
the feeling of our infirmities — He the Son of God who 
•is able to succour them that are tempted — He who ever 
liveth to make intercession for us — He who is able to 
save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by 
him. No priest ! While he stands before the throne of 
the Eternal with the golden censer in his hand sanction- 
ing by his presence the access of every sinner who 
cometh to that throne with a humble and contrite 
spirit ! " But you have no visible priest." No visible 
priest ! While every saint in the company of Christ's 
faithful ones belongs to the Royal Priesthood of the 
Christian dispensation. No visible priest ! While the voice 
of .every saint of God is privileged to exclaim, " unto 
Him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins 
in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto 
God, and his Father be glory and dominion for ever and 
ever !" God's people are the priests of the Christian 
temple, and wherever you find a Christian, you find a 
priest of the most High God. 

And who are they that affirm, "You have no 
sacrifice !" The Lamb of God is our sacrifice ; perfect, 
spotless, precious, infinite ; once offered — " once for 
all " — offered for me, for you, for every child of the 
family of Adam. No sacrifice ! — 

" Jesus, my Great High- Priest, 

Offer'd his blood and died ; 
My guilty conscience seeks 

No sacrifice beside ; 
His powerful blood did once atone, 
And now it pleads before the throne. ' 



174 



LECTURE IV. 



No sacrifice ! Through him, wherever there is a broken 
and a contrite spirit, there is a sacrifice which God doth 
not despise. No sacrifice ! Wherever there is a humble, 
grateful Christian ready to present his body upon the altar 
of consecration, there is a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable 
to God. No sacrifice ! So long as a Christian believer 
is to be found with a prayer to breathe to heaven, or a 
note of praise to waft to the throne of Eternal Majesty, 
there is an offering, a. sacrifice, which ascends as incense, 
and as a savour of a sweet smell before the Heavenly 
altar. We have an altar : We have a priesthood : We 
have sacrifices. O come to this altar of Christianity, 
the altar of the cross; come to the Holy of Holies 
through the sacrifice of God's Divine Lamb ; come with 
all your guilt and all your pollution, remembering that 
you have a High Priest who advocates your cause, and 
who is both able and willing to " save unto the 

UTTERMOST ALIa WHO COME UNTO GOD BY HlM." 



NOTE TO LECTURE IV. 



" De defectibus Panis. 

1st. " If the bread be not of wheat, or if of wheat, it be mixed 
with such quantity of other grain, that it doth not remain 
wheaten bread ; or if it be in any way corrupted, it doth not 
make a sacrament. 

2d. " If it be made with rose or other distilled water, it is 
doubtful if it make a sacrament. 

3d. " If it begin to corrupt but is not corrupted : also, if it be 
not unleavened according to the custom of the Latin church, it 
makes a sacrament ; but the priest sins grievously." 

" De defectibus Vini. 

" If the wine be quite sour, or putrid, or be made of bitter or 
unripe grapes : or if so much water be mixed with it, as spoils 
the wine, no sacrament is made. 

" If after the consecration of the body, or even of the wine, 
the defect of either kind be discovered, one being consecrated ; 
then, if the matter which should be placed cannot be had, to 
avoid scandal, he must proceed." 

" De defectibus Ministri. 

" The defects on the part of the minister, may occur in these 
things required in him, these are first and especially intention, 
after that, disposition of soul, of body, of vestments, and dispo- 
sition in the service itself, as to those matters which can occur 
in it. 

" If any one intend not to consecrate, but to counterfeit ; also, 
if any wafers remain forgotten on the altar, or if any part of 
the wine, or any wafer lie hidden, when he did not intend to 
consecrate but what he saw ; also, if he shall have before him 
eleven Wafers and intended to consecrate but ten only, not 



176 



NOTE. 



determining "what ten he meant, in all these cases there is no 
consecration, because intention is required. 

" Should the consecrated host disappear, either by accident, 
or by wind, or miracle, or be devoured by some animal, and 
cannot be found ; then let another be consecrated. 

" If after consecration, a gnat, a spider, or any such thing fall 
into the chalice, let the priest swallow it with the blood, if he 
can ; but if he fear danger and have a loathing, let him take it 
out, and wash it with wine, and when mass is ended, burn it, 
and cast it and the washing into holy ground. 

" If poison fall into the chalice, or what might cause vomiting, 
let the consecrated wine be put into another cup, and other 
wine with water be again placed to be consecrated, and when 
mass is finished, let the blood be poured on linen cloth, or tow, 
remain till it be dry, and then be burned, and the ashes be cast 
into holy ground. 

" If the host be poisoned, let another be consecrated and used, 
and that, be kept in a tabernacle, or a separate place until it be 
corrupted, and after that be thrown into holy ground. 

"If in winter the blood be frozen in the cup, put warm 
clothes about the cup ; if that will not do, let it be put into 
boiling water near the altar, till it be melted, taking care it 
does not get into the cup. 

" If any of the blood of Christ fall on the ground by negli- 
gence, it must be licked up with the tongue, the place be suffi- 
ciently scraped, and the scrapings burned ; but the ashes must 
be buried in holy ground." 



LECTURE V. 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 

It is hardly necessary for me to state, to my hearers, 
unless, indeed, it be by way of constructing a link 
which shall complete the chain of argument and obser- 
vation now to be employed, that man, in his primeval 
state, was one with Deity. God dwelt in him, and he 
in God. Man took the highest delight in his Creator, 
and God in his creature. All was peace, harmony and 
love. No medium of access to God was necessary for 
man, because the intercourse and the fellowship were 
immediate and absolute. To how great an eminence, 
to how divine a height, was our nature raised, in the 
person of Adam ! 

Who needs to be told that from this lofty height, 
man fell ? Sin separated between him and God. Those 
who had been so intimately united, were now severed 
and placed at an infinite distance from each other ; 
those who had been friends, were now enemies. All 
intercourse with the Divine Being was cut off, and 
man found himself at enmity against an all-powerful 
and infinitely holy God. Had he endeavoured to find 
his way back again to God, every attempt which he 
could have made must have failed : for between him and 
Divinity there was fixed an impassable abyss, with no 
way around it, and no way over it. In the distance, but 



178 LECTURE V. 

within his trembling view, there was seen the lightning's 
flash, reminding him that God is a consuming fire ; and 
from that distance, there fell npon his trembling ears, 
the thunders of Almighty vengeance, a revelation of 
His wrath from heaven against all ungodliness. A 
flaming sword guarding the Paradise of the Divine 
presence, warned man that any attempt to enter it, 
would be visited with instant judgment. 

By what device could this breach be healed ? What 
power could erect over this fearful gulph of separation 
a sufficient bridge — a bridge over which man might 
walk in safety to his God? What skill and energy 
could repair the fracture which sin had produced ? 
Who could discover a medium of access for the sinner 
to his God? Who could penetrate the depths of the 
. divine mind to ascertain whether there existed in those 
depths, the pure gem of redeeming mercy! What 
advocate could be found to plead before the offended 
majesty of heaven, the cause of rebel man ? 

Wonder heavens, and be astonished earth ! The 
skill, the power, the compassion are all at hand, for 
they are all in God. Yea, the way is already opened ; 
the bridge has been erected by our Divine Architect ; 
the scheme of reconciliation is completed ; the breach 
is healed ; the serpent's head is bruised ; the eternal 
Word, the Son of God, Jehovah's fellow, appears, arrays 
himself in our flesh, assumes our entire humanity, 
places himself in contact with the vengeance-charged 
cloud, receives its fearful shock, stands our Advocate 
before the throne of Heaven, and from that throne 
exclaims, to us who seek after God, if haply we may 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 179 

find Him, " I am the way, the truth, and the life, 
no man cometh to the Father but by me." 

The question which we haye to discuss and settle this 
evening, is not whether there is any necessity for the 
services of a mediator between God and men ; this is a 
point upon which both Catholics and Protestants are 
agreed. "What we have to determine is, whether of 
these two is the more scriptural — the doctrine of the 
Reformation, that there is but one mediator, or the 
practice of the Church of Rome, that there are many 
mediators. The passage of Scripture which I have, 
selected as a text may be found in the Apostle Paul's 
first epistle to Timothy, the second chapter at the fifth 
verse. It is thus rendered in the Douay Bible : — 

" There is one God and one mediator of God 

AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JeSUS." 

If we take a comprehensive view of the doctrine of 
Christ's mediation, we shall find that it covers the ivhole 
history of man from the period of his fall. 

For as soon as man sinned, as we have already seen, 
immediate intercourse between him and God was inter- 
rupted. The scheme devised and proposed in the mind 
of Deity was, that thenceforward man should be 
governed and treated with, through the intervention of 
a mediator. In harmony with all the arrangements, I 
mean ordinary arrangements, of both the works and 
the providence of God, this scheme was gradually 
developed. It did not burst suddenly upon the world 
in all the splendours of its light and glory ; it rather 
followed that beautiful ordination of the Creator which 
we daily behold in the gradual development of the 



180 



LECTURE V. 



morning light. But that Jesus Christ was mediator 
between God and men equally in the days of Abel ancl 
of Caiaphas the High Priest, equally in the days of 
Moses and of Peter and Paul, is a doctrine which is 
admitted by the most celebrated divines both Catholic 
and Protestant. We all detect the doctrine of Christ's 
mediation in the sacrifice of Abel, and in the offering 
of Abraham; we recognize our glorious Mediator in 
the Angel of the Covenant, and in the Captain of the 
Lord's Host ; we see the doctrine of mediation shadow- 
ed forth in the appointment of the High Priest, in the 
daily offering of sacrifices, and in the yearly atonement ; 
we recognize Christ crucified in the sin offerings of 
the priests, in the predictions of the prophets, and in 
the praises of the Psalms. For this Old-Testament 
recognition of Christ our Mediator, we have his own 
authority. The Evangelist Luke describes a conversa- 
tion which Jesus had with his disciples, in the following 
words : — " These are the words which I spake unto you 
while I was yet with you, that all things might be ful- 
filled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in 
the prophets and in the psalms concerning me." 

A comprehensive view of Chrisfs mediator ship em- 
braces also his mediatorial qualifications. 

Mediator is a word that is transferred from the Latin 
to the English language without any variation ; it is a 
translation of the Greek word fiEairriQ which means a 
middle person — one who comes between two adverse 
parties and reconciles them. Whatever lower meaning 
may be given to the word as applied by St. Paul to 
Moses, it is clear that whenever it is applied in the New 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 181 

Testament to Jesus Christ, it includes the doctrine of 
reconciliation by atonement. Hence in the verse 
immediately following our text it is said : — " Who gave 
himself a redemption for all." The qualifications of the 
Lord Jesus Christ to interpose between God and men, 
are seen — 

First, In his possessing in his own person the nature 
of each of the estranged parties. To employ the 
language of the Nicene Creed, he was " true God of 
true God," and yet, not less truly, " was incarnate by 
the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made 
man." These qualifications are seen 

Secondly, In his possession, as an infinite Being 
untainted by sin, of an infinite merit. And 

Thirdly, In his offering himself as a ransom, an 
atonement, a satisfaction, for the sin, and consequent 
demerit of the offending party. 

A comprehensive view of Christ's mediation embraces 
also his every office and his entire work. 

" All the offices of Christ arise out of his gracious 
appointment as Mediator between the offended God and 
offending man. He is the Prophet who came to 
teach us the extent and danger of our offences, and the 
means by which they may be remitted. He is the 
Great High Priest of our profession, who having 
offered himself without spot to God has entered the 
holiest to make intercession for us, and to present our 
prayers and services to God, securing to them acceptance 
through his own merit. He is the King ruling over 
the whole earth for the maintenance and establishment, 
the defence and enlargment of his Church, and the 
i 



1B2 



LECTURE V. 



punishment of those who reject his authority "* He 
teaches us as our Mediator, he atones for us a& our 
Mediator, he intercedes for us as our Mediator, he 
rules over us and defends us as our Mediator. His 
entire work as the God-man is mediatorial. The 
Gospel is mediatorial, the Christian dispensation or 
covenant is mediatorial; all that we in this state of 
being have to do with God, and all that God has to do 
with us is mediatorial. 

A comprehensive view of Christ's mediation compre- 
hends his absolute unity as Mediator. 

He stands forth in the Gospel single and alone ; 
needing no helper, rejecting all aid, in the peculiar 
functions of his office. It is as certainly a scriptural 
truth that there is but one mediator, as it is that there 
is but one God : the two doctrines seem to be cognate, 
or rather the unity of Christ as mediator arises out of 
the doctrine, " Hear, Israel, the Lord our God is one 
Lord." Adapting the truth contained in the text to 
the phraseology employed by Moses, we may say, " Hear 
ye children of our Christian Israel, the Lord Jesus, our 
Mediator, is one Mediator." 

There is not, probably, an intelligent Eoman Catholic 
present who would be disposed to question the scriptural 
accuracy and the general orthodoxy of these views. 
And, we will not be backward to admit that the written 
teaching of the Church of Rome on these subjects is 
generally correct. The divinity of Christ, his infinite 
merit, the satisfaction which he paid down for the sins 
of the whole world, the reconciliation which he effected 

* Farrar's Biblical Dictionary sub voce. 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 183 

between God and sinners, and the unity of the Divine 
Mediator, are exhibited with more or less clearness in 
the authorised canons and liturgies of that Church. 
Candour, however, obliges us to state that these gems 
of original gospel truth are so imprisoned within modern 
incrustations as not to be easily detected. It is only by 
taking the hammer of God's word that we reach them 
at all. For instance, I find in the " Key of Heaven," a 
devotional work recommended by Archbishop Murray, 
at page 171, the following sentiments : — 

" And that my petition may find acceptance, I appeal 
to thee, sweet Jesus, Son of the living God, the Advocate 
and Mediator betwixt us sinners and thy eternal Father, 
humbly beseeching thee, through that infinite charity 
which brought thee from heaven to the ignominy of the 
cross, and thy precious blood spilt thereon, that I may 
now partake of the benefit of thy sufferings, and be 
cleansed from all my offences : that by thy assistance I 
may sincerely repent and amend of all my failings : 
that dying to myself and the world, I may live only to 
thee, and never suffer either passion or pleasure to divide 
me from thee any more." 

I find also the following sentence in the Catechism of 
the Council of Trent : — " True there is but one Mediator, 
Christ the Lord, who alone has reconciled us through 
his blood ; and who having accomplished our redemp- 
tion, and having once entered into the holy of holies, 
ceases not to intercede for us." Nothing could be more 
scriptural than this, but then there are added these 
words, " it by no means follows that it is therefore 
unlawful to have recourse to the intercession of saints." 



184 



LECTURE V, 



I could in this way pick out from authorised Roman 
Catholic works numberless sentences, phrases and 
expressions, which clearly acknowledge the New Testa- 
ment doctrine of Christ's mediation. I shall, however, 
content myself with one other taken from page 43 of 
Bishop Butler's Catechism : — 

" Q. What conditions are necessary to render our 
prayers acceptable ? 

" A. We must always offer them with an humble and 
contrite heart ; with fervour and perseverance ; with 
confidence in God's goodness ; with resignation to his 
will, and in the name of Jesus Christ." 

Now, what Protestants remonstrate against is, the 
want of .unity and consistency which pervades the 
teaching of the Church of Rome on this subject. In 
some authorised utterances of the Church, there is 
an avowal that only one mediator exists between God 
and men ; but in other utterances of equal authority, 
saints, angels, and men are invested with mediatorial 
attributes, and clothed with mediatorial prerogatives. 
It appears to me that the protest of the Reformed 
Churches, that protest, I mean, which relates to the 
subject now under consideration, may be thus ex- 
pressed : — 

" We protest against the Church of Rome be- 
cause SHE PRACTICALLY SUBSTITUTES OTHER MEDIATORS 

for Jesus Christ, and avowedly recognizes the 
existence of secondary mediation in the invisible 

WORLD. 

You will say, perhaps, that this protest involves a 
grave charge against our Roman Catholic brethren ; 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 185 

and you will ask, " Does the Church of Rome really 
usurp the mediatorial position of the Son of God, by 
placing in his stead others than he?" Listen with 
attention for a few minutes, and you will see how easily 
the charge can he sustained out of the writings and the 
mouths of Catholics themselves. 

Observe, however, that We do not charge the Church 
of Rome with investing men, or saints, or angels, with 
all the attributes and powers of Christ as mediator ; 
but we do charge her with investing them with some 
of these powers — powers which distinctively and solely 
attach to Him as the God-man. Two instances out of 
many shall now be given : Forgiveness of sins, and 
Intercession with God. 

I. Forgiveness of Sins. 

I open the Douay Bible on the fifth chapter of the 
Acts of the Apostles, and I find at the thirty-first verse, 
the following passage : " Him hath God exalted with 
his right hand, to be Prince and Saviour, to give repent- 
ance to Israel and remission of sins." Here, as I con- 
ceive, we have a distinct announcement, that the divine 
prerogative of pardoning sin is transferred to Christ, and 
to him alone, as the mediator of the New Testament ; 
and that to invest in any other being, man, saint or angel, 
the powers of this prerogative, is to substitute another 
mediator in the place of Christ, the only mediator. 

Our Roman Catholic friends have done this ; their 
doctrine, and their practice too, place the priests of their 
Church, instead of Jesus Christ, between the people and 
their God. We are quite aware that ministers of the 



186 



LECTURE V. 



gospel sustain the position of ambassadors for Christ, we 
do not forget that Paul the Apostle represents them as 
standing in the stead of Christ ; but for what purpose are 
they invested with the high dignity of Christ's ambas- 
sadors ? Why do they stand in Christ's stead ? For the sole 
purpose of " beseeching" sinners to be " reconciled to 
God." But in the Church of Rome the Priest absolves 
the sinner, and does this not as a minister but as a 
judge; as God: — for in the fourteenth Session of the 
Council of Trent, the following Canon was passed: 
"Whoever shall affirm that the Priest's sacramental 
absolution is not a judicial act, but only a ministry to 
pronounce and declare that the sins of the party con- 
fessing are forgiven, so that he believes himself to be 
absolved even though the Priest should not absolve 
seriously, but in jest ; or shall affirm that the confession 
of the penitent is not necessary in order to obtain absolu- 
tion from the Priest ; let him be accursed." " The 
Council farther teaches, that even those Priests who are 
living in mortal sin exercise the function of forgiving 
sins, as the Ministers of Christ, by the power of the 
Holy Spirit conferred upon them in ordination ; and 
that those who contend that wicked Priests have not 
this power hold very erroneous sentiments. Whoever 
shall affirm that Priests living in mortal sin have not 
the power of binding and loosing, or that Priests are 
not the only Ministers of absolution, &c. ; let him be 
accursed." The Catechism of the Council also declares : 
" Our sins are forgiven us by the absolution of the 
Priest. The voice of the Priest, who is legitimately 
constituted a Minister for the remission of sins, is to be 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 187 

keard as that of Christ himself, who said to the lame 
man, ' Son, be of good cheer ; thy sins are forgiven 
thee.' " " The absolution of the Priest, which is ex- 
pressed in words, seals the remission of sins, which it 
.accomplishes in the ' soul." " Unlike the authority 
given to the Priests of the old law, to declare the leper 
cleansed from his leprosy, the power with which the 
Priests of the new law are invested is not simply to 
declare that sins are forgiven, but, as the Ministers 
of God, really to absolve from sin ; a power which God 
himself, the author and source of grace and justification, 
exercises through their ministry." 

I put it to any ordinary understanding, whether this 
teaching does not invest man, aye, even a wicked man, 
with the prerogative of our divine mediator, that of for- 
giving sins? The Scribes and the Pharisees could 
have taught our friends that it is no less than blasphemy 
for any creature to assume this power. " Who can 
forgive sins but God only ? " And yet the Catechism 
of the Council of Trent declares, that " the voice of the 
Priest is to be heard as the voice of Christ himself, who 
said to the lame man, " Son, be of good cheer ; thy 
sins are forgiven thee !" We protest against these 
assumptions ; they rob God of his honor, they denude 
Christ of his prerogative. But I need not longer dwell 
upon this branch of our subject, because the next 
lecture will embrace the whole subject of a sinner's 
pardon, or justification before God. 



188: 



LECTURE' %, 



IL Intercession with God in the invisible world 
is another of those mediatorial prerogatives- 
which the Church of Rome has transferred 
from Christ, to both saints and angels. 
Who, with the New Testament in Ms hand, can 
doubt the belief of the Apostles to have been that 
Christ was that only intercessor through whom they 
could approach to the Father ? Do you ever find an 
apostle presenting a supplication through any other than 
Christ, pleading any merits but those of Christ, flying 
to any other Refuge, or laying hold of any other Hope 
than that of Christ ? Is not the intercession of Christ 
indeed represented here as his chief function in that 
world whither he has ascended? Already has he borne 
our sins in his own body ; already, in our stead, magni- 
fied the law and made it honorable; already has he 
completed his atoning work ; by his one offering, as we 
saw in the last lecture, he hath perfected for ever them 
that are sanctified ; and now, by virtue of his atoning 
work, by virtue of his sprinkled blood, by virtue of his 
infinite merit, he hath passed into the heavens, and ever 
liveth in the presence of God to make intercession for 
sinners. Turn to the epistle to the Hebrews, and you 
will find text upon text confirmatory of the sole inter- 
cessorship of Christ. Sole it must be, for his merits are 
the ground of his intercession. He now, saith the 
apostle, appears in the presence of God for us. But let 
me read to you a few verses from the tenth chapter of 
this epistle : " Having therefore, brethren, a confidence 
in the entering into the Holies by the blood of Christ : 
A new and living way which he hath dedicated for us 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 189 

through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and a high 
priest over ths house of God : let us draw near with a 
true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled 
from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with 
clean water." Here there is pointed out to the Church 
of the Hebrews no other way but Christ. Are we to 
draw near ? It is to be through him. Have we, as the 
saints of God, an entrance into the presence of the 
Holy One ? It is through his blood. Let me read to 
you again out of the first Catholic epistle of John ; " But if 
any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, 
Jestjs Christ the just : and he is the propitiation for our 
sins : and not for ours only, but also for those of the 
whole world." All that we ask of Roman Catholics 
is, that they will furnish us from the word of God, with 
one instance of prayer and supplication having been 
offered to God or to Jesus Christ, through the virgin 
Mary, or, indeed, any other saint. Then, will we, with 
them, make pilgrimages to the shrines of Mary, and we 
will entreat the saints, as they do, to protect us by their 
power, and to plead with God for us by virtue of their 
merits. But the Scriptures are against them, the prac- 
tice of the apostles is against them, the genius of 
Christianity is against them ; " Through Christ we have 
access by one Spirit unto the Father." 

But, I must make good the ground of our protest ; 
and in doing this, will remind you of the deep sensation 
which you experienced a few evenings ago, when we 
furnished so overwhelming a testimony that the Church 
of Rome, in her ritual, is guilty of presenting to the 
Mother of Christ, the honors of supreme adoration, 
i2 



190 



LECTURE V, 



The subject which we are now discussing is the inter- 
cession, rather than the adoration of saints ; but you 
will at once see that each is in a great degree involved 
with the other ; so much so in this case, that Protestant 
Divines in discussing the two questions generally 
associate them under the general title of " The invoca- 
tion of saints." 

The teaching of the Church of Rome on this sub- 
ject, as enunciated by the Council of Trent, is as 
follows : — 

" The holy Council commands all Bishops and others, 
who have the care and charge of teaching, that 
according to the practice of the Catholic and Apostolic 
Church, received from the first beginning of the 
Christian religion, the consent of venerable Fathers, and 
the decrees of holy Councils, they labour with diligent 
assiduity to instruct the faithful concerning the invoca- 
tion and intercession of the saints, the honour due to 
relics, and the lawful use of images ; teaching them, that 
the saints, who reign together with Christ, offer their 
prayers to God for men ; that it is a good and a useful 
thing suppliantly to invoke them, and to flee to their 
prayers, help, and assistance ; because of the benefits 
bestowed by God through his Son Jesus Christ our 
Lord, who is our only Redeemer and Saviour ; and that 
those are men of impious sentiments who deny that the 
saints, who enjoy eternal happiness in heaven, are to be 
invoked ; or who affirm that they do not pray for men, 
or that to beseech them to pray for us, is idolatry ; or 
that it is contrary to the word of God, and opposed to 
the honour of Jesus Christ, the one Mediator between 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 191 

<Go& and men ; or that it is foolish to supplicate, verbally 

mentally, those who reign in heaven." 

The Catechism of the Council says, " The veneration 
and invocation of angels and saints, who -enjoy the 
glory of heaven and the honour which the (Roman) 
Catholic Church has always paid, even to the bodies 
and ashes of the saints, are not forbidden by the first 
commandment. — Their intercession, therefore, we invoke, 
because they always see the face of God, and are con- 
stituted by him the willing advocates of our salvation. — 
To honour the saints who sleep in the Lord, to invoke 
their intercession, and to venerate their sacred relics 
and ashes, tar from diminishing, tends considerably to 
increase, the glory of God ; in proportion as the 
Christian's hope is thus animated and fortified, and he 
himself excited to the imitation of their virtues. — True, 
there is but one Mediator, Christ the Lord, who alone 
has reconciled us through his blood ; and who, having 
accomplished our redemption, and having once entered 
into the holy of holies, ceases not to intercede for us ; 
but it by no means follows, that it is therefore unlawful 
to have recourse to the intercession of the saints." 

The Church of Eome ascribes to the Virgin Mary 
and other saints the highest prerogatives of Christ as 
intercessor. What are these prerogatives ? I reply in 
the words of St. Paul in the Hebrews : " He is able 
also to save for ever them that come to God by him : 
always living to make intercession for us." As inter- 
cessor, Christ saves, — this is his right, his peculiar right 
as our High Priest. Let us see whether this charge can 
be sustained. 



192 



LECTURE V. 



My first proof is taken from a work entitled, The 
Devotion and Office of the Sacred Heart of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, including the Devotions to the Sacred 
Heart of Mary, Twelfth Edition, with an Appendix 
and the Indult of his Holiness, Pope Pius, in favour 
of it. For the use of the Midland District. Keating 
and Brown. 

" Go then, devout client, to the heart of Jesus, but 

LET YOUR WAY BE THROUGH THE HEART OF MARY. 

" Come, then, hardened and inveterate sinner, how 
great soever your crimes may be, come and behold. 
Mary stretches out her hand, opens her breast to 
receive you. Though insensible to the great concerns 
of your salvation, though unfortunately proof against 
the most engaging invitations of the Holy Ghost, fling 
yourself at the feet of this powerful advocate. 

" Hail Mary, lady and mistress of the world, to whom 
all power has been given both in heaven and earth. 

" You are the great Mediatrix between God and 
Man, obtaining for sinners all they can ask and demand 
of the Blessed Trinity." 

My second proof is taken from the Key of Heaven f 
a work in common use in this city. On page 81, I 
read the following prayer : — 

" Ever glorious and blessed Mary, Queen of Virgins, 
Mother of Mercy, hope and comfort of dejected and 
desolate souls, through that sword of sorrow which 
pierced thy tender heart whilst thine only Son, Jesus 
Christ our Lord, suffered death and ignominy on the 
cross : through that filial tenderness and pure love he 
had for thee, grieving jn thy grief, whilst from his cross 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 193 

he recommended thee to the care and protection of his 
beloved disciple, St, John, take pity, I beseech thee, on 
my poverty and necessities ; have compassion on my 
anxieties and cares ; assist and comfort me in all my 
infirmities and miseries, of what kind soever. Thou art 
the Mother of Mercies, the sweet Consolatrix and only 
refuge of the needy and the orphan, of the desolate and 
afflicted. Cast, therefore, an eye of pity on a miserable 
forlorn child of Eve, and hear my prayer ; for since in 
just punishment of my sins, I find myself encompassed 
by a multitude of evils, and oppressed with much 
anguish of spirit, whither can I fly for more secure 
shelter, amiable Mother of my Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ, than under the wings of thy maternal 
protection W 

My third proof is taken from the "Power of Mary," a 
work by St. Liguori. 

I told you before who Liguori was, and reminded you 
that not only is this work printed by permission of the 
superiors, but that the author was himself canonized 
some years since for his writings and his devotion to 
the Church of which he was a member. 

In this book I find the following sentiments : — 

Page 217. "St. Bernard did not fear to assert that 
4 all things are submitted to the Holy Virgin, even God 
himself.' " 

Page 218. " Mary is all powerful, for, following all 
laws, the queen enjoys the same privileges as the king T 
and in order that the power may be equal between the 
son and the mother, the son who is all powerful has 
made his mother all powerful. The one is all powerful 



1U 



LECTURE V. 



by nature, the other by grace, i. e. as it was revealed to 
St. Bridget, our divine Christ is obliged not to reject 
any commands of his mother's." 

Page 219. "It is then with great reason, our 
advocate, that St. Bernard and St. Anselm say that it 
sufficeth you only to wish a thing to be done ; thus you 
can at your will elevate the most unworthy sinner to 
the highest degree of sanctity." 

Page 217. " Damien says that the ' Virgin when she 
presents herself before the altar of reconciliation, 
appears less to supplicate than to dictate laws.' " 

But the authorized liturgies of the Roman Catholic 
Church are full of such sentiments. In " the Garden of 
the soul," a work with which every Roman Catholic is 
acquainted, I find a Hymn to the Virgin Mary, from 
which I take the following stanzas : — 

" Hail thou resplendent star which shinest o'er the main 
Blest Mother of our God, and ever virgin queen. 
Hail happy gate of bliss greeted by Gabriel's tongue, 
Negotiate our peace, and cancel Eva's wrong, 
Loosen the sinners bands, all evil drive away, 
Bring light into the blind, and for all graces pray." 

St. Germain once prayed as follows : " O mother of 
God, your defence is immortal ; your intercession is 
life ; your protection is security ; if you do not teach us 
the way, none can become spiritual, nor adore God in 
spirit. O most Holy Virgin, none can have the know- 
ledge of God but by you : Mother of God, none can 
be saved but by you : Virgin Mother, none can be 
delivered from dangers but by you : favoured of God, 
none can obtain any gift or grace, but by you." St. 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 195 

Anselm says, " More present relief is sometimes found 
by commemorating the name of Mary, than by calling 
upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ her only son. In 
the " Treasure of the soul," page 72, I find the follow- 
ing prayer : — " most pious Mary, Virgin, Mother of 
the most Holy God, my most beloved advocate, succour 
me in all my necessities both now and ever." 

What; I ask, is this, but to hurl the Son of God from 
his mediatorial throne, and to place upon it Mary in 
his stead ? My dear Roman Catholic friends, I tremble 
when I contemplate this usurpation. It were the height 
of impiety, it were to rob divinity of its peculiar glory, 
to raise her to an equality with Christ. But oh ! to exalt 
her above Christ, to ascribe to her a clemency which 
he does not possess, he who came from heaven, and 
abandoned his glory, and lived a life of suffering, and 
bled upon the cross, — to ascribe to her a willingness to 
hear and to save when he withholds mercy, — language 
fails to designate, as I feel, the fearful character 
of this anti-scriptural delusion. I will not be harsh, 
I am in no mood to employ a single unkind 
word, but I ask you whether, what I have now advanced 
(and I have ten-fold more of proof beside me) is not 
sufficient to warrant me in stating that no more accurate 
view of the practice of the Church of Rome in relation 
to this whole subject can be found than that which is 
presented in a picture which was placed some years ago 
in a Roman -Catholic Chapel at Wigan, in which God 
the Father was painted on one side, and God the Son 
on the other side, and the Virgin Mary enthroned 
between the two, with a crown upon her head ! 



196 



LECTURE V, 



I can imagine some one saying, this relates to other 
countries; I cannot believe it of this country, or at 
least of the intelligent Roman Catholics that live around 
us. Now I think we shall be disposed to admit that 
the Roman Catholic Bishop of Montreal, is a fair 
representative of the intelligent portion of the Roman 
Catholic community. Let me then bring to your recol- 
lection the year 1847, when this city was visited with 
that terrible fever-scourge, which cut down so many of 
our fellow citizens, and which threatened the destruction 
of thousands. The various Churches offered special 
supplication to heaven that Providence would avert the 
calamity, and our friends of the Roman Catholic com- 
munity did the same. The Bishop issued a pastoral 
letter to his flock on the subject, and I shall adduce 
this letter as another proof that the Church of Rome 
ascribes divine power to the Virgin Mary. The letter 
was dated August 13, 1847, and appeared in full, in 
several of the Roman Catholic Journals in Lower 
Canada. Though the first extract that I shall transcribe 
does not bear precisely upon the subject which we have 
now in hand, yet as it bears upon the general contro- 
versy, I may be permitted to read it.. The Bishop 
speaks of eight priests, ten nuns, and several laymen, who 
had fallen victims to the disease, chiefly by attending 
to the spiritual and temporal necessities of the dying, 
and regards them in the light of " propitiatory victims 
which the justice of God selected in order to satisfy 
itself, being provoked by our crimes ; that it may be 
able afterwards to show favour to the great number of 
sinners who amongst us continually abuse his great 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 197 



mercies." But that part of the letter to which- 1 direct 
your special attention is this : — " Lastly," says the pre- 
late, " put yourself under the protection of Mary, and 
ask her that she would preserve this city, and all this 
diocese, from the dreadful scourge which is threatening 
us." Here certainly is a transfer to Mary of the power 
and authority committed to Christ as mediator, to whom 
all power is given in heaven and in earth. But, in 
this pastoral, the Bishop sets his flock an example also, 
by renewing his own vow and offering prayer to the 
Virgin. " O divine Mary, I humbly prostrate myself 
at thy feet, to protest in the sincerity of my soul that I 
do not even deserve to bear that glorious name never 
having done anything that was worthy of thee." 
"Acknowledging, however, that thou art a mother 
full of goodness and that thou lovest to do good to 
those who are most poor and most wretched, I conjure 
thee with all the confidence which the thought of thy 
maternal heart inspires, to cause the calamity to cease 
which prevails among the clergy and the communities 
of this diocese, and to preserve from this awful contagion 
all the people confided to my care." 

The Bishop then vows to engage all his efforts to 
"re-establish the pious pilgrimage of our Lady of 
Bonsecours" and reminds the Virgin that she has at 
all times loved to be called " the help of Christians." 
" The miracles which thou hast been pleased to work in 
that ancient Chapel which our Fathers built, attest 
that." The Prelate then vows, once more, to repair the 
negligence, and promises that there she shall receive the 
homage of pious pilgrims. He then announces to her, 



198 



LECTURE V. 



that he has caused to be made in Paris a statue of 
gilded bronze which has been solemnly blessed at the 
altar of the Church of " Our Lady of Victories," and 
promises to have executed and exhibited in the Bonse- 
cours Church a picture representing the Typhus seeking 
to enter Montreal, but stayed at the gate by her power- 
ful protection. This votive prayer contains also the 
following declaration, "Under an inspiration which 
evidently came from thee, I have caused to be engraven 
on the pedestal (of the statue) this devout invocation 
' Ora pro nobis, interveni pro clerof which at this sad 
time is like the cry of our pain and the exclamation of 
our heart for thy help in our urgent need." 

" In the face of this whole country," continues the 
Bishop, " I form this engagement, Thy honor and thy 
glory are concerned to grant so solemn a vow. It is 
indeed a very favorable opportunity of proving that 
one never invokes thee in vain. — holy Mary, 
succour thy unfortunate children, help the feeble; 
warm those who are lukewarm in God's service; 
pray for the people ; employ thyself for the clergy ; 
intercede with thy divine Son for the consecrated 
communities." 

"What now becomes of the professions of our Catho- 
lic friends that they only seek the assistance of the 
prayers of the Virgin and of the other saints? Is not 
the Virgin here approached as though she had in her 
own power the safety or destruction of the city ? Is 
there not an intimation that no one ever invokes her in 
r/ain ? Is there not a call upon the inhabitants, to place 
themselves under the protection of Mary? Is this 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 199 

seeking merely the assistance of her prayers — to 
prostrate yourselves at her feet, to speak of the honour 
and glory of her name, of an inspiration which she 
breathed into the mind of the Bishop ? What, in 
view of the extracts just now read from Roman Catho- 
lic liturgies, becomes of the following assertions of Dr. 
Milner, in page 228 of his End of Controversy, "In 
short, the saints do nothing for us mortals in heaven 
but what they did while they were here on earth, and 
what all good Christians are bound to do for each 
other, viz : they help us by their prayers. The only 
difference is, that as the saints in heaven are free from 
every stain of sin and imperfection and are confirmed 
in grace and glory, so their prayers are far more effica- 
cious for obtaining what they ask for, than are the 
prayers of us imperfect and sinful mortals." I have 
read no passage even in Protestant authors which 
more thoroughly proves the weakness of the ground 
upon which the theory of saint invocation is based, than 
this passage of Dr. Milner's which so seeks to dilute the 
practice of the Church of Rome, which indeed is so 
different from her practice as to convince me that he 
felt it impossible to sustain her in it, either by reason or 
by Scripture. Now mark the doctrine and apply it to 
the Virgin Mary : she does in heaven, what she was 
bound to do on earth, she helps people by her prayers ? 
Is this all that Roman Catholics ask her to do in 
heaven ? " No," is our prompt reply ; and we cannot 
allow the Doctor to say, that her assistance in heaven 
is more efficacious than it was on earth, because the 
reasons which he assigns, does not hold good in her 



200 



LECTURE V. 



case, at least in his opinion, for she was immacu- 
late, free from every stain of sin and imperfection while 
on earth, so that by his own theory, he has no right to 
expect more efficacy in her interference now, than she 
possessed then. And what, with all her perfection, 
with all her power and immaculate purity, did she 
possess then ? "What did she possess when she sought 
her son in the crowd without the house in which he 
was teaching ? What power did she possess when she 
saw her son upon the cross, and when he was obliged 
to commit her to the care of the loved disciple ? Did 
she ever exert her power in working a miracle ? Did 
she take a prominent part in the establishment of 
Christianity? The very silence of the Scriptures is 
like the voice of thunder reiterating its ponderous 
reproofs against that Church which invests with media- 
torial, and therefore divine honours, her who was at 
most but a favored creature. 

An illustration of the confusedness of the theological 
view which these opinions involve is found in the 
following prayer which I will now read from " The 
supplement to the Manual of Catholic Piety," page 30 : 
"We beseech thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that the 
blessed Virgin Mary, who at the hour of thy passion, 
had her most holy soul run through with the sword of 
sorrow, may intercede for us with thy clemency, both 
now and at the hour of death ; who livest and reignest 
with God the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, 
world without end. Amen. 

Again : the Roman Catholic Church not content 
with ascribing these titles, offices and works to the 



THE ONE MEDIATOR, BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 201 

mother of Christ, transfers them, if not in equal, yet, 
in considerable amount to other saints, and to angels. 

1. In the "Key of Heaven," page 348, St. George 
takes the place of Christ, in the following prayer : — " O 
God, who by the merits and intercession of blessed George 
thy Martyr, rejoicest the hearts of the faithful, mercifully 
grant that what we ask in his name, we may obtain 
through the gift of thy grace." 

2. In the "-Garden of the Soul," pages 435-6, there are 
the following supplications to St. Joseph, the husband of 
Mary : — " glorious descendant of the Kings of 
Juda ! inheritor of the virtues of all the Patriarchs ! 
just and happy St. Joseph ! listen to my prayer. Thou 
art my glorious protector, and shalt ever be, after Jesus 
and Mary, the object of my most profound veneration 
and tender confidence. Thou art the most hidden, 
though the greatest saint, and art peculiarly the patron 
of those who serve God with the greatest purity and 
fervour. In union with all those who have ever been 
most devoted to thee, I now dedicate myself to thy 
service ; beseeching thee, for the sake of Jesus Christ, 
who vouchsafed to love and obey thee as a son, to 
become a father to me ; and to obtain for me the filial 
respect, confidence, and love of a child towards thee. 
O powerful advocate of all Christians ! whose interces- 
sion, as St. Theresa assures us, has never been found to 
fail, deign to intercede for me now, and to implore for 
me the particular intention of this Novena. [Specify it.)" 

" Present me, Great Saint, to the adorable Trinity, 
with whom thou hadst so glorious and so intimate a 
correspondence. Obtain that I may never efface by 



202 



LECTURE V. 



sin the sacred image according to the likeness of which 
I was created. Beg for me, that my divine Redeemer 
would enkindle in my heart, and in all hearts, the fire 
of his love, and infuse therein the virtue of his adorable 
infancy, his purity, simplicity, obedience, and humility. 
Obtain for me likewise a lively devotion to thy Virgin 
Spouse, and protect me so powerfully in life and death, 
that I may have the happiness of dying as thou didst, 
in the friendship of my Creator, and under the imme- 
diate protection of the Mother of God." 
" Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, Spouse of St. Joseph, Pray for us. 
St. Joseph, confirmed in grace, Pray for us. 
St. Joseph, Guardian of the Word Incarnate, 
St. Joseph, Favourite of the King of Heaven, 
St. Joseph, ruler of the family of Jesus, 
St. Joseph, Spouse of the ever-blessed Virgin, 
St. Joseph, nursing father to the Son of God, 
St. Joseph, example of humility and obedience, 
St. Joseph, mirror of silence and resignation, 
St. Joseph, patron of innocence and youth, / §•> 
St. Joseph, exiled with Christ into Egypt, I ^ 

St. Joseph, intercessor for the afflicted, V 
St. Joseph, advocate of the humble, 1 
St. Joseph, model of every virtue, 
St. Joseph, honoured among men, / 
St. Joseph, union of all Christian perfections, 
Lamb of God, &c. 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 203 

V. Pray for us, holy St. Joseph. 
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

3. In the Eoman Catholic Missal for the use of the 
laity, page 85, we have the following prayer: — "May 
this communion, O Lord, cleanse us from sin, and by the 
intercession of blessed Thomas a Becket, thy martyr, 
make us effectual partakers of this heavenly remedy.' 7 
And, in the same service, " Do thou, by the blood of St. 
Thomas which he spent for us, grant that we may ascend 
whither he has ascended." Could language more 
devout, or work more sacred, be applied to our divine 
mediator? It is a well-known historical fact, that in 
Becket's Church, at Canterbury, there were three shrines, 
one for himself, one for Mary, and one for the blessed 
Saviour. The offerings to these shrines, for one year, were 
as follows : — the shrine of Jesus Christ £3, that of the 
Virgin £63, and that of Becket £832. The next year, 
the offerings to the shrine of Christ were nothing, to 
the Virgin's £4, and to Thomas a Becket's £954. I 
mention this to show you the tendency of that system 
which appropriates to saints, the title and offices of 
Christ our only mediator ; it is to set aside Christ, to 
rob hiin of his glory and to give it to another ; it is to 
ascribe to creatures, all of whom were sinful, and many 
of whom died in sin, the powers and merits and func- 
tions of our glorious intercessor. 

4. To show the extent to which saint invocation is 
carried by Roman Catholics, on the continent of Europe 
at least, if not in this country, I may remark that dif- 
ferent saints are applied to on different occasions, and 



204 



LECTURE V. 



for different dangers and diseases, e. g\, " St. Anthony, 
tlie Abbott, preserves from fire — Anthony, of Padua, 
from drowning — St. Barbara, in times of thunder and 
war — St. Blass is applied to for diseases of the throat — 
St. Polonia preserves the teeth — St. Domingo cures 
fever — St. Roque cures the plague." Thus in all 
diseases, under every pressure of affliction, some saint 
is accessible by prayer. Tell me, ye men of reason and 
of religion, whoever you are, by whatever community 
you are acknowledged, what must be the effect of this 
system upon the minds of the illiterate ? What but 
to divert them from the knowledge of the only true 
God and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent ? Tell me 
not that Christ retains his proper position in the 
economy of grace, because Dr. Milner and other en- 
lightened Roman Catholic expositors speak as they do, 
so long as the common people, the hundreds and 
thousands who flock to your churches, are taught to 
offer more prayers to the Virgin and other saints than to 
Christ ; tell me not that Christ is regarded by Roman 
Catholics as the true and only Mediator, while the 
works of Liguori are put into the hands of your devotees, 
and while the people are taught to pray to Thomas 
a Becket, and recognize his blood as having been spilt 
for them. I take up the Missal of the Roman Catholic 
Church, and I find that in the course of the service of 
the mass, the Priest offers the following prayer : — 

" We beseech thee, O Lord, by the merits of thy 
saints, whose relics are here, and of all the saints, that 
thou wouldst vouchsafe to forgive us all our sins. 
Amen." 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 205 

Consistently herewith., prayers are offered in this 
city to saints, whose relics are supposed to be deposited 
under the altar of the Bishop's Church. I hold in my 
hand two prayers, printed by a Roman Catholic printer 
of Montreal, and which must be familiar to most 
Catholics present. One of these is a prayer to St. 
Zotique, and the other is a prayer to St. Januarius. 
Two or three extracts must suffice : " Holy Zotique, 
who hast had the good fortune of dying for religion, 
deign to hear the humble prayers which we address 
you in the presence of your holy relics. Look with 
kindness on the pious faithful who invoke you, and 
bless this city which places its glory on possessing you. 
And now we pray you to protect us, glorious martyr, 
and to obtain for us the favour of imitating your 
patience, your courage, and your other virtues. Amen." 
Again : " O holy Januarius, we bless the divine good- 
ness which has willed that your holy body should be 
exhumed from where it lay for so many ages, and 
which has inspired our holy father, the Pope, with the 
thought of giving it to us as a pledge of his paternal 
affection. We regard this venerable body as a rich 
treasure, and we esteem it more than the good of the 
world. Bless all the works which are carried on in 
this city and in this diocese, bless those who labour for 
your glory, bless us ourselves who are at your feet full 
of righteous confidence in your merits and in your 
goodness. Amen." 

Brethren, time fails, or I would adduce equally 
numerous and convincing proofs, that the glory and 
functions of Christ as Mediator, are transferred to angels 

K 



206 



LECTURE V. 



as well as saints ; but I shall merely quote the Con- 
fiteor, which every devout Catholic daily employs : — 
" I confess to Almighty God, to the blessed Mary, 
ever Virgin, to blessed Michael, the Archangel, to 
blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter 
and Paul, and to all the Saints, that I have sinned 
exceedingly, in thought, word, and deed, through my 
fault, through my fault, through my most grievous 
fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary, ever 
Virgin, blessed Michael, the Archangel, blessed John 
the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all 
the Saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me. May 
Almighty God have mercy on me, forgive me my sins, 
and bring me to everlasting life. Amen." 

My hearers are now fully informed of the views and 
the practice of the Church of Rome in relation to this 
grave subject ; and I feel persuaded that there can 
scarcely be a person in the congregation possessing 
ordinary candour of mind, who will not agree with me 
that the transfer by that Church, of Christ's mediatorial 
honors to the Virgin and other saints, is triumphantly 
proved. You will not, therefore, be surprised at our 
solemnly protesting against this transfer : And we do it 

First, — On the ground that it is not sustained 
by the Word of God. 

I take up first the New Testament, because, though 
the Old Testament may assist us in its interpretation, 
the latter must ever be regarded as the only infallible 
exponent of the doctrines and principles of Christianity. 
And what do I find in the New Testament? If I 
examine the teaching of Christ on the subject of his 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 207 

mediatorial power and authority, I find it altogether 
at variance with the division among others of the 
smallest portion of his high prerogative. The way to 
the Father is himself ; the door to the fold of his 
Church is himself ; " No man cometh unto the Father 
but by me." " If ye shall ask anything in my name 
that will I do." " I will pray the Father, and he shall 
send you another comforter." " Come unto me all ye 
that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you 
rest." " Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise 
cast out." In no one of the Sacred Evangelists can I 
find an expression which borders even on an intimation 
that God the Father will be approached through any 
other than the Son, or that the Son will be, or needeth 
to be approached by any secondary Mediator. Is it 
possible, I ask, to conceive that there should be in 
the teaching of Christ no single reference to a doc- 
trine which the Church of Rome declares to be 
prominent in the Christian scheme, and necessary 
to the comfort and protection of the children of 
God? 

But we are told in reply, that the age of Christ was 
too early for the introduction of this practice, because it 
was not until after the resurrection of Christ that such 
a change took place in the condition of the departed 
saints as enabled them to discharge the duties of 
protectors and intercessors of his people. Even were 
we to admit this reasoning, it would certainly have no 
force in the case of angels, neither could it hold in re- 
spect to Enoch and Elijah. But we will refer to the 
Acts of the Apostles. By this time Simeon, and John 



208 



LECTURE V, 



the Baptist, and Ann, and Joseph had died, and Christ 
had risen ; but in all the specimens of prayer (and there 
are many) which we have in the Acts of the Apostles, 
there is not the least semblance of the intercession of 
saints and angels. Read that simple, beautiful, and power- 
ful apostolic prayer in the fourth chapter : " Who having 
heard it, with one accord lifted up their voices to God^ 
and said : Lord, thou art he that didst make heaven 
and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them. 
Who by the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our father 
David thy servant, hast said, Why did the gentiles rage, 
and the people meditate vain things ? The kings of the 
earth stood up, and the princes assembled together against 
the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth 
there assembled together in this city against thy holy 
child Jesus whom thou ■ hast anointed, Herod and 
Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles and the people of 
Israel, To do what thy hand and thy counsel decreed 
to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, 
and grant unto thy servants, that with all confidence 
they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thy hand 
to cures and signs and wonders, to be done by the name 
of thy only Son Jesus." Is there mention here of any 
other name than that of Christ ? "Turn to the seventh 
chapter, and listen to the dying prayer of Stephen: 
" And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, 
saying : Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And 
when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And 
Saul was consenting to his death." Here there is no 
mixture of saints with the Lord Jesus as there is in the 
supplications prescribed by the Church of Rome for her 
dying members. 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 209 

Listen, for example, to the following devotional 
exercises which, are prescribed for the use of dying 
persons in a work called "The Christian's Guide to 
Heaven, or a complete Catholic Manual :" — 

" O holy Mary, Mother of God, who didst assist at 
the death of - thy beloved Son Jesus, obtain for me the 
grace of a happy death. Glorious St. Michael, prince 
of the Heavenly host, intercede for me at the hour of 
my death, that I may depart this world in the grace 
and favour of my Creator. O holy Angel Guardian, to 
whose care God in his mercy has committed me, stand 
by me at the dreadful hour ; protect me against all the 
powers of darkness, defend me from all my enemies . 
and conduct my soul to the mansions of eternal 
repose." 

I turn to the apostolic epistles and yet there is no 
variation. Neither Peter, nor Paul, nor John, throws 
new light on the subject. Christ is the only intercessor. 
When they needed grace to discharge their duty, their 
language was, " I can do all things through Christ who 
strengtheneth me." If they prayed for themselves or 
then people, Christ was the only advocate through 
whom they approached the Father. There was no 
recognition of any subordinate mediator. Even St. 
J ohn, the last of the apostles who lived on earth, makes 
no reference to this doctrine of saint invocation. He 
speaks of an advocate, but it is Jesus Christ the 
righteous ; and when he refers to our seeking blessings 
at the hand of God, it is in the following language : — 
" And this is the confidence which we have towards 
him : That, whatsoever we shall ask according to his 



210 



LECTURE V, 



will, he heareth us. And we know that he heareth us 
whatsoever we ask : we know that we have the peti- 
tions which we request of him." How is this ? 
The prince of the apostles, and Paul too, had been 
dead for many years when this epistle was written, but 
there is no application for their advocacy. Stephen 
the proto-martyr had been dead sixty years, and yet 
there is no reference to his intercession* Gabriel and 
Michael were as well known as to their nature and 
office then, as now, but does John exhort Christians to 
fly to their protection ? Can you imagine an apostle, 
if he believed as the Church of Eome believes, 
writing a letter to an elect lady without mentioning the 
Virgin, without urging her to imitate her virtues, 
without commending her to Mary's protection ? Is it 
conceivable that at that late period there should have 
been no reference to this practice of the Church, if it 
then existed — if the primitive Church were guided by 
the principles of the Roman Catholic Church ? Brethren ! 
the more I study my Bible in relation to this matter, 
the more convinced am I that Christ shares not his 
mediatorial throne with any creature ; he sits there 
alone ; angels and saints are at his feet. They have no 
power to bless, for all power is with him : no power 
have they to protect, for all power is with him : no 
power have they to save, for all power is with him : no 
authority have they to intercede, for there is one 
mediator between God and men. Fearful is the con- 
templation, yet is it true, that upon all who trust in any 
other but the divine arm, there rests God's dire 
anathema. " Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, 
and maketh flesh his arm." 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 211 



But you will not be surprised to learn that our Roman 
Catholic friends refer to the Scriptures in support of 
their doctrine and practice ; and you will perhaps be 
curious to know upon what particular texts they rely. 

(1.) The angelic salutation to the Virgin is one of 
them, " Hail Mary full of grace, &c." whose meaning 
we fully discussed in the lecture on adoration, showing 
that it is a weak and uncertain basis upon which to rest 
the doctrine of either the adoration or the invocation of 
the Virgin. 

(2.) Most Roman Catholic Divines adduce the third 
verse of the twelfth chapter of Osee. " In the womb he 
supplanted his brother : and by his strength he had 
success with an Angel ;" And also Genesis xlviii., 15, 16. 
" And Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, and said : God, 
in whose sight my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, 
God that feedeth me from my youth until this day ; The 
angel that delivereth me from all evil, bless these boys 
And also Joshua v., 13, &c. " And when Joshua was in 
the field of the city of Jericho, he lifted up his eyes, and 
saw a man standing over-against him, holding a drawn 
sword, and he went to him, and said : Art thou one of 
ours, or of our adversaries ? And he answered : No : 
but I am prince of the host of the Lord, and now I am 
come. J oshua fell on his face to the ground. And 
worshipping, said : What saith my Lord to his servant ? 
Loose, saith he, thy shoes from off thy feet : for the 
place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did as 
was commanded him." 

An ignorance of the first principles of Biblical inter- 
pretation pervades the whole argument that is sought 



212 



LECTURE V. 



to be constructed upon these passages. "Who does not 
know that Angel is an Old-Testament title of the 
Lord Jesus Christ? At least it is sufficient for our 
present purpose, to show that the personage spoken of 
by Jacob was Dunne. "I have seen Gob," said the 
patriarch, ".face to face." And as it respects the Angel 
who appeared to Joshua ; who can doubt that the same 
Being is intended who appeared to Moses under the 
designation Jehovah ? each of whom addressed the 
leaders of Israel in the same terms : " the place whereon 
thou standest is holy ;" — " Holy," because the presence 
of the Almighty was there. 

Now I think you are convinced that there is no 
foundation whatever in these passages for constituting 
angels our intercessors, and if even there were, they 
would not be sufficient to warrant the doctrine of the 
intercession of saints. But let us refer to the New 
Testament. 

Dr. Milner in his " End of Controversy," (page 230), 
lays great stress on a passage in Luke the evangelist : 
" We know That there is joy before the angels 
of God over one sinner that repenteth." Luke xv. 
10. Now, is it by visual rays, or undulating sounds, 
that these blessed spirits in heaven know what passes in 
the hearts of men upon earth ? How does his lordship 
know, that one part of the saint's felicity may not con- 
sist in contemplating the wonderful ways of God's- 
providence with all his creatures here on earth ? But, 
without recurring to this supposition, it is sufficient for 
dissipating the bishop's uncharitable phantom of blas- 
phemy, and Calvin's profane jest about the length of 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 213 

the saint's ears, that God is able to reveal to them the 
prayers of Christians who address them here on earth." 

What, I ask, can be gathered from this passage, 
but the doctrine that by some method there is conveyed 
to the heavenly world information respecting the 
advancement of Christ's redeeming work on earth ? 
Who denies that the angels know much ? Who denies 
that they are powerful beings ? Who denies that they 
are God's ministers, ministering for the benefit of his 
people on earth ? But am I therefore to worship them, 
to invoke their prayers ? Our Catholic friends reason 
with us as though we almost denied the existence of 
angels. But I wish you to observe another thing in the 
remarks of this learned controversialist, viz. : the impli- 
cation, that God hears the prayers of his people on 
earth, reveals these prayers to the saints in heaven, and 
then that these saints in turn present them again to the 
Father and to Christ ! Is there any warrant in Scripture 
for supposing that the prayers of God's elect take a 
route thus circuitous ? 

Another passage which our friends adduce is Matthew 
xviii. 10. " See that you despise not one of these little 
ones : for I say to you, that their Angels in heaven 
always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." 
But there is no proof here of the intercession of angels. 
The fourth verse of the first chapter of the Apocalypse 
is also put in as proof : " John to the seven churches 
which are in Asia. Grace be unto you and peace from 
him that is, and that was, and that is to come, and 
from the seven spirits which are before his throne." 
Modern Roman Catholics have affected to believe that 
k2 



214 



LECTURE V* 



the seven spirits are angels or saints giving aid or 
assistance to men. I have not time to say more than 
that I fully believe this to be a superlative form of 
expression to signify the Holy Ghost, the Third Person 
in the ever blessed Trinity. In this opinion I am 
distinctly supported by three of the most illustrious 
fathers of the Church, and this being the case, no 
Roman Catholic has a right to give a contrary opinion, 
for his creed binds him not to interpret any passage 
except by the unanimous consent of the fathers. St. 
Augustine in his exposition of Psalm cl. says, " Which 
Holy Spirit is chiefly commended to us in Scripture by 
the seven fold number, as well in Isaiah as in the 
Apocalypse." Gregory Nazianzen, in his forty-first 
Oration says, " The precious spirits were called seven, 
for Isaiah^ I think, was accustomed to call the operations 
of the spirit, spirits." St. Ambrose in his exposition of 
Luke speaks of " the silver tried by fire, and purified by 
the Septiform Spirit? 

There is a class of passages which Roman Catholics 
advance in favour of the invocation of saints which 
retort upon themselves with terrible effect. Such as : 
" Brethren pray for us ; — pray one for another." The 
argument is, that if St. Paul desired the prayers of his 
infirm and imperfect brethren on earth, believing them 
to be availing, much more consistently might we desire 
the prayers of the spirits of the just made perfect in 
heaven. But if the prayers of saints in heaven are so 
much more efficacious than ours on earth, surely the 
apostle knew it, and if he knew it, is it not surprising 
that we do not find him crying out, " Holy John the 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 215 

Baptist pray for us P " Holy martyr, St. Stephen, pray 
for us, that the word of the Lord may hare free course 
and be glorified V " Holy St. Ann intercede with the 
Saviour on our behalf I* " Holy Simeon have us in 
thy protection ? " But passing from the Scripture, we 
assert that upon then- own principles the members of 
the Church of Rome have no right to contend for this 
doctrine, because it is not supported by the unanimous 
voice of antiquity. 

I am aware that our friends adduce what they call 
apostolic liturgies in support of their views and practice, 
but these are admitted even by the Roman Catholic 
historian Dupin to have had their origin, not in the days 
of the apostles, but in the fifth or sixth centimes. 

I am aware also, that in some of the Fathers, expres- 
sions may be found which seem to favour the doctrine. 
But that all the Fathers were not like-minded — listen to 
the following sentiment from St. Augustine ; — you may 
find it in the Paris edition of his works, vol. iv., p. 683. 
He is commenting on the sixty-first Psalm, and his 
words are, " Christ is the High Priest who has entered 
for us within the vail, and ivho alone, of all who have 
appeared in the flesh intercedes for us." 

Other objections press themselves upon our attention^ 
to which I can only refer : — 

First, — The departed saints are not endowed with 
capabilities of interceding for others. Let those who 
say they are, prove it from the word of God. What 
knowledge less than omniscience could quality the 
Virgin Mary to listen to the invocation of the tens 
of thousands who every moment of every day pay their 



216 



LECTURE V. 



devotions to her thousands of shrines ! What power 
less than omnipotence could enable her to help their 
necessities ! The same may be said of other saints. 

Second, — In reference to many of the saints, how is 
it known that they were not hypocrites ? Roman 
Catholic divines and historians universally acknowledge 
that there have been hypocrites even in the Papal 
Chair. Who can determine that in the list of Roman 
Catholic saints there are not to be found many such. 

Third, — How can it be determined that these saints 
are yet out of purgatory ? 

Fourth, — How is it known that all these sainte have 
had an existence at all ? It is certain that cases have 
occurred in which imaginary saints have been wor- 
shipped. A fact which drew forth from the learned 
Cassandrus, a Roman Catholic, the following remarks : 
— " There is also another error not unfrequent, that the 
common people neglecting in a manner the ancient 
and known saints, worship more ardently the new and 
unknown, of whose holiness we have but little assurance, 
and of whom we know some only by revelation; so 
that it is justly doubted of several that they never 
existed at all." 

My dear friends, I fear that you have been already 
wearied by the length of this exposition and discussion ; 
and yet I may not suffer you to retire, without calling 
back your thoughts to that glorious doctrine, the 
oneness of Christ's mediatorship. No other days-man 
do you need but Christ : No other advocate do you 
need but Christ : No other High Priest has been ap- 
pointed to make intercession for you but Jesus, the Son 



THE ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN. 21 7 

of God. We rejoice to pray for each other upon earth 
through Him, but when we come to God, we feel our 
need of infinite merit to embolden us to approach his 
throne, and we are convinced that we have this merit 
only in Christ. When we come to God, we feel our 
need of an unchangeable intercessor, and we know that 
it is Christ alone who ever liveth to make intercession 
for us. When we come to God, we feel our need of a 
mediator perfect in knowledge and perfect in sympathy, 
and we feel that these requirements are only found in 
Christ ; we feel that these are necessary to embolden 
us even to crawl to his footstool, and when, suppliant 
there, we cast our eyes to the ■ throne of Eternal 
Majesty, we see nothing to encourage our hope of 
mercy but the presence of our glorified and exalted 
advocate. He is there, and we want no other. His 
humanity is there, and that is the link which binds us 
to the Divinity that is in him, and to the Divinity that 
is upon the throne. We want no intermediate link of 
man's foro-iriP' : Who is Thomas a Becket, who is St, 
Anthony, that either of them should be allowed to inter- 
vene between us and Christ ? Who is Liguori or Bona- 
venture, that he should be needed to come between us 
and our blessed, our loving, our Almighty Saviour, who 
is able to save unto the uttermost all who come unto 
God by Him. Who are even Peter and Paul and 
John, but sinners saved and redeemed by the grace of 
God in Christ ? Need we their intercession while we 
have a divine intercessor ? Can they know, as he does, 
our wants ? Are they touched, as is he, with the feeling 
of our infirmities ? Have they power with God, as he 



218 



LECTURE V. 



hath, to prevail on our behalf ? What is their finitude 
to his infinity ? "What is their power to His Almighti- 
ness ? What are their resources to the boundless foun- 
tain of grace and love which reside in his glorious mind ? 
And who are Michael and Gabriel, and all the host of 
Cherubim and Seraphim, that exult in the presence of 
the throne, compared with Jesus, the King of Kings, 
and Lord of Lords ? 0, brethren, I feel that if the 
brightest Archangel that basks in the beams of God's 
eternal presence, did but pass between my vision and 
the glory of this divine mediator, my view of that glory 
would be utterly eclipsed ; I feel that I could not bear 
even a feather of his wing to glide for one moment 
between my Saviour and myself. I see my Saviour 
exalted upon his mediatorial throne, I contemplate his 
power — his merit — his love — his deep compassion; I 
listen to him praying for me, as once he prayed " Father 
forgive him," and while I thus behold and hear, I ex- 
claim — 

" Thou, Christ, art all I want, 
" More than all, in thee I find." 

And because the purest created intellect is placed 
infinitely below his feet, I would set aside angels, 
patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, — and say 
with the venerable Peter : " Lord, to whom should we 
go but unto thee, THOU hast the words of eternal 
life." 



LECTURE VI. 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION, 

There is one doctrine of the Christian religion, respecting 
which, happily, there exists no difference of opinion 
between the Protestant and Eoman Catholic commu- 
nities. It is a doctrine no less true than humiliating ; 
a doctrine which History has penned upon every age of 
the world, and which experience has confirmed in 
every investigation of humanity. It is a doctrine which 
is written in bold black letters upon every page of inspi- 
ration, and which the Spirit of God has inscribed in 
burning characters upon every fold of the human con- 
science. It is a doctrine, the evidence of whose truth, 
nothwithstanding the sophistries of ancient pagan 
wisdom and the copious dilutions of modern philosophy, 
(so called,) gathers strength as the world gathers age. 
My hearers are not in suspense as to the doctrine of 
which I speak, for they have doubtless already detected 
the reference to be to the natural sinfulness and deprav- 
ity of the human race. 

Here then, is common ground : The Protestant can 
take the hand of the Catholic, and with downcast eyes 
and smiting upon their breasts they can draw near 
together to their Heavenly Father's throne, and can 
say, each without violating the creed of the other, in 
one language, and in one voice, M God be merciful to 



220 



LECTURE VI. 



me a sinner !" Ah, my hearers ! we are all sinners, and 
God hates sin. We have broken his laws, and " cursed 
is every one that continueth not in all things that are 
written in the book of the law to do them." Who, 
where is he, among the thousands that now hear my 
voice, who would be bold enough to stand forth and 
protest that he has never committed a single sin, that 
he has never manifested a sinful disposition, or spoken 
an unholy or unkind word, or indulged an impure 
thought or affection or motive ? I pray God, that this 
doctrine so personally momentous to us all, may this even- 
ing influence each one now before Him to correspondent 
solemnity of feeling. I desire to remember this evening 
that God is in this place, that I am addressing a congre- 
gation of sinners, and that I am placed here in order, 
not only to defend the truth, but also to beseech you 
in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. 

There is another doctrine upon which we are all 
at one, our need of God's pardoning mercy. Many of 
the petitions which ascend to heaven from both Roman 
Catholics and Protestants, demonstrate this. I enter, 
for example, a Roman Catholic Church, and during the 
service of the mass I hear the officiating priest cry out, 
" Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis" 
and I see the devout Catholic following the Latin of 
the priest in the English of his prayer book, his lips 
quietly moving to the words " Lamb of God who takest 
away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us !" Here 
then is an acknowledgment on the part of the Roman 
Catholic Church of the need of mercy at the hands of 
a Saviour. I go into an Episcopal Church, and I hear 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 221 



the whole congregation pleading with the Holy One in 
these words, " But thou, Lord, have mercy upon us, 
miserable offenders :" I worship with my Congregational 
or Presbyterian brethren, and I hear the same confession 
from the lips of the minister, and the same earnest cry 
for mercy : and in a congregation of Baptists or Metho- 
dists, the " Amen" that occasionally seals the petition 
for grace and salvation proves that these sections of the 
common church of the Redeemer acknowledge the 
same doctrine. Here again is common ground ; let us 
then occupy it this evening, and be we of the Roman 
Catholic Church, or belong we to some of the various 
Protestant communities, let us present the unworthy 
sacrifice of our petitions upon the universal altar of the 
Christian religion, let us gaze with the eye of our faith 
upon the one sacrifice for sin, let us come through the 
one mediator between God and men, and let us humbly 
but earnestly cry, " Hide thy face, O Lord, from our sins, 
and blot out all our iniquities." 

And now I wish both Protestants and Catholics, to 
listen while I read as a text the 38th and 39th verses of 
the xiiith Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. " Be it 
known therefore to you, men brethren, that 
through him forgiveness of sins is preached to 
you : And from all the things, from which you 
could not be justified by the law of moses. 
in him every one that believeth, is justified." 

The Protestant version reads thus : — 

" Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, 
that through this man is preached unto you the forgive- 
ness of sins : And by him all that believe are justified 



222 



LECTURE VI. 



from all things, from which ye could not be justified 
by the law of Moses." 

This passage speaks of justification, it speaks also of 
forgiveness of sins, and it speaks of these two graces 
and blessings as one and the same. At first sight, this 
seems rather contradictory, because speaking after the 
manner of men and of the world, a man who is justified 
does not need forgiveness ; he spurns the very idea of 
pardon, and claims acquittal as his inviolable right : 
and a man who is forgiven feels, on the same principle, 
that he can neither demand nor expect to be justified. 
How then can we reconcile this evangelical paradox ? 
Only thus : That the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of 
demonstrating that forgiveness under the gospel is 
bestowed by God consistently with the claims of law, 
employs an expression which literally means, i. e. in 
law, for it is a forensic term, to acquit a man of any 
charge or charges that may be preferred against him 
in court, and to pronounce him innocent ; not that a 
justified sinner is positively innocent, this were a 
contradiction, but that by the scheme of redemption 
through Christ, having previously complied with certain 
conditions, he is treated, accepted, and acknowledged, as 
though he were an' innocent person. I shall refer you 
to two passages from the writings of the Apostle 
Paul to prove that this is the gospel view of justification : 
" Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemp- 
tion that is in Jesus Christ. Whom God hath pro- 
posed to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, 
to the shewing of his justice, for the remission of former 
sins." " But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 



223 



hiin that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to 
justice according to the purpose of the grace of God. 
As David also termeth the blessedness of a man, to 
whom God reputeth justice without works : Blessed 
are they, whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins 
are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath 
not imputed sin. Blessed are they, whose iniquities are 
forgiven, and whose sins are covered? " That is," 
says a Catholic annotator in the Douay Bible, " blessed 
are those who, by doing penance, have obtained pardon 
and remission of their sins, and also are covered ; that 
is, newly clothed with the habit of grace, and vested 
with the stole of charity. Blessed is the man to whom 
the Lord hath not imputed sin. That is, blessed is the 
man who hath retained his baptismal innocence, that 
no grievous sin can be imputed to him. And likewise, 
blessed is the man, who after falling into sin, hath done 
penance and leads a virtuous life by frequenting the 
sacraments necessary for obtaining the grace to prevent 
a relapse, that sin is no more imputed to him." 
"Without discussing the integrity of the paraphrase, it is 
clear from the text that when the apostle speaks 
of evangelical pardon he means the same as justification, 
that indeed " forgiveness of sins," " remission of sins," 
imputation of justice, (or righteousness) " non imputa- 
tion of sin," and " the covering of sin," all mean the 
same thing and refer to the same blessing. 

To me, it appears indisputable, that the apostle here 
speaks of a blessing which has no reference to any 
other change than that which is relative, that he speaks 
of a change which alters merely the position or relation 



224 



LECTURE VI. 



of a sinner to His God. He was guilty, he is now 
accounted righteous; he was condemned because 
he had broken God's law, he is now pardoned ; he was 
an enemy, he is now reconciled unto God by the death 
of his Son ; he was a prodigal, he is now accepted by 
his offended Father. Were we to take another step, 
were we, in speaking of this blessing, to refer to a 
change of nature as well as of relation, we should, I 
think, go beyond the boundary which the Holy Script- 
ures usually assign to justification, and find ourselves in 
the region of regeneration. Eoman Catholic divines 
have often confounded these two blessings, it was 
especially done by the Council of Trent. We shall keep 
them perfectly distinct; indeed our present scheme of 
doctrinal exposition assigns, to the next lecture, the dis- 
cussion of the important subject of Regeneration. 

The plan which I propose to follow this evening is, to 
lay down a scheme, or chain, of Protestant propositions, 
proving their truth out of the Douay Bible, and, as 
occasion may serve, out of the writings of the early 
fathers of the Church ; and showing, as we proceed, 
whether the deduction which shall be drawn from these 
sources, are, or are not, correspondent with the teaching 
and the practices of the Church of Rome. 

I. The following proposition will form the first link 
in this chain : — There is no man, be he in his natu- 
ral STATE, OR IN A JUSTIFIED STATE, WHO IS NOT 
UTTERLY DESTITUTE OF PERSONAL MERIT. 

I am not unaware that this is a proposition which 
strikes at the root of our natural pride ; I know how 
difficult it is to bring man down from those moral 



THE ONE METHOD OE JUSTIFICATION. 225 

heights to ■which his dreamy and misguided fancy 
has elevated him ; but am I, therefore, to conceal the 
truth ? Am I even to smooth down the hard and rug- 
ged doctrine of man's absolute demerit in the sight of 
God? I dare not, with this book of divine scripture 
before me ; for I here read, (Romans iii,) that " there is 
none just, that all have turned out of the w T ay, that they 
are become unprofitable together, there is none that 
doeth good, there is not so much as one." These preg- 
nant sentences are surely sufficient to annihilate, at least 
this opinion — that man, before justification, is, or may 
be possessed of merit. Where is the merit, if there is 
none that doeth good ? Where is the merit, if they 
have all turned out of the way? Where is the merit, 
if there is none just ? And experience is parallel with 
this scripture. Bring me any unregenerated man — I 
care not how many steps he may have taken towards 
the kingdom of grace, or how nearly he may have 
arrived thither, he will confess to an admixture of 
impurity, or insincerity, or pride, or selfishness, in even 
those words and works which seemed most meritorious ; 
he will confess that ever, in his experience, when he 
would do good, evil is present with him. But the most 
startling feature of this proposition is that which 
denudes of all merit, a man who is even justified 
and regenerate ; that which denies to all the zeal, and 
all the love, and all the sacrifices, and all the charities, 
and all the obedience of the people of God, the smallest 
particle of merit. This is a hard saying, who can hear 
it ? But let us go to the law and to the testimony, for 
if we speak not according to this word, there is no light 
in us. 



226 



LECTURE VI. 



I turn then to the seventeeth chapter of St. Luke's 
Gospel, and I read in the tenth verse : — " So you 
also, when you shall have done all these things 
that are commanded you, say : We are unprofitable 
servants ; we have done that which we ought to do." 
In the very nature of things it .must be so. Whence 
come these fruits of righteousness, but from Him from 
whom proceedeth every good and perfect gift? To 
constitute the works of Christians meritorious, it must 
be shown that they are wrought independently of 
extraneous influence, suggestion, or aid ; wrought also of 
perfect free will. But because they are not thus wrought, 
because we are moved and empowered by the Holy 
Spirit to do them, because there is in us, naturally, 
no disposition to good works, where is the merit of 
them ? What of merit is there in the branch of the 
vine laden with its rich clusters of fruit, the branch that 
derives all its life and nourishment from the roots and 
the stock ; that is pruned by the husbandman ; that is 
warmed by the sun, and fanned by the breeze ? Sever 
it from the vine, and the question is answered. And so 
it is with the Christian. Is there life in his soul ? it is 
the life of Christ. Is there strength ? It is the power of 
Christ. Is there warmth ? It comes from Christ the 
Sun of Righteousness — " Christ is all and in all," 
and if you desire to sum up the amount of merit which 
the Christian possesses, sever him from Christ, and the 
problem is solved. Orthodox to the letter are the 
sentiments on this subject of Pope Gregory the First 
who said, " that the best of men will find no merit in 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 227 



their best actions, and that if he should attain to the 
highest virtue, he should obtain eternal life, not by 
merits, but by pardon." Again, in commenting on the 
Penitential Psalms, he says, " I pray to be saved, not 
trusting to my merits, but presuming to obtain that by 
mercy alone, which I hope not for by my merit." Would 
that the Council of Trent had taken this leaf out of the 
writings of Gregory the Great, and inserted it amongst 
their canons instead of the following : — " "Whoever shall 
affirm, that the good works of a justified man are in 
such sense the gifts of God, that they are not also his 
worthy merits ; or that he, being justified by his good 
works, which are wrought by him through the grace of 
God, and the merits of Jesus Christ, of whom he is a 
living member, does not really deserve increase of 
grace, eternal life, the enjoyment of that eternal life if 
he dies in a state of grace, and even an increase of 
glory : let him be accursed." Here then is Gregory the 
Great, a Pope and a Saint, anathematized by the 
Trentine Fathers ! 

A striking illustration of the present doctrine of the 
Church of Rome, as it respects human merit, is found in a 
grave-yard in Cork, on a tomb stone, upon which the fol- 
lowing inscription is engraved : — " I. H. S. Sacred to the 
memory of the benevolent Edward Molloy, the friend of 
humanity and father of the poor : he employed the 
wealth of this world only to secure the riches of the 
next ; and, leaving a balance of merit on the booh of 
life, he made heaven debtor to mercy. He died October 
17, 1818. — R. I. P." 



228 



LECTURE VI. 



II. The second proposition which we advance is this : 
Justification is a gratuitous blessing, i. e. it is 

BESTOWED UPON MAN IRRESPECTIVE, IN THE LEAST 
DEGREE, OF HUMAN MERIT. 

The very term forgiveness which St. Paul uses in the 
text as synonymous with justification, proves this. If I 
break the laws of my country, am found guilty by an 
adequate tribunal, and am sentenced to punishment, 
and then, in her clemency, the Queen should extend to 
me her Royal pardon, it would not, methinks, be difficult 
to show that the act was an act of free and gratuitous 
mercy on the part of the Sovereign. It is even so as it 
respects ourselves and the King of Kings : we have - 
broken his laws, all the world is declared guilty before 
Him, we are condemned to punishment, but God extends 
to us the offer of a free pardon. This is grace without 
merit, and hence the Apostle Paul, as I read in his 
epistle to the Ephesians, Douay version, says, " In whom 
we have redemption through his blood the remission of 

Sins ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE." 

And the term justified, as it is employed by the 
Apostle, does not detract from the doctrine of the gra - 
tuitousness of the blessing. We have already seen that 
man, as a sinner, may be both forgiven and justified. 
This arises from the peculiar nature of the economy of 
redemption. Evangelical justification indeed means 
neither more nor less than forgiveness bestowed con- 
sistently with the claims of the divine character and 
laws, and we know that this is the only principle upon 
which forgiveness could' or would be bestowed. As, 
therefore, forgiveness is bestowed by God, of his grace, 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 229 



as God could not bestow this grace to the disparage- 
ment of liis justice, it follows that the scheme which he 
has devised for the reconciliation of these two perfec- 
tions in the act of forgiveness must have been devised, 
and its blessings bestowed without claim or merit also. 
Hence, I read in the Douay Bible the following text : 
" Being justified freely by his grace through the 
redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 

The Bible, yes this Douay Bible, is full of passages 
to this effect I read in Romans xi. 6 : "If by grace it 
is not now by works; otherwise grace is no more 
grace." In Ephesians ii. 8, 9 : " For by grace you are 
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves for it is 
the gift of God. Not of works that no man may glory." 
In Titus iii. 5 : " Not by works of justice which we 
have done, but according to his mercy he saved us ; 
that being justified by his grace, we may be heirs 
according to the hope of everlasting life." But why 
should I multiply references to substantiate a doctrine 
whose fitness and whose glory appeal to the conscience 
of every sinner, and whose truth was patent to the 
whole Christian Church for the first thousand years of 
its existence ? Roman Catholics speak of the unity of 
their church, and of the apostolicity of its teaching and 
practice ; but this we confidently affirm, and you shall 
have proof before you leave this church, that into what- 
ever other errors the Church of Rome may have fallen 
before the sitting of the Trentine Council, it was left to 
that body of ecclesiastics to hurl the first church 
anathema against every humble preacher who should 
dare to affirm with Paul, " that man is justified by faith 



230 



LECTURE VI. 



only." In the beginning of the twelfth century, 
Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, required that the 
following exhortation should be given to a dying monk : 
" Do you believe that you cannot be saved but by the 
death of Jesus Christ? I do believe so. Do you 
heartily thank him for it? I do. Be you therefore 
ever thanking him for it as long as you live, and put 
your whole trust and confidence in that death alone ; 
and let that be your only safeguard. And if the Lord 
will enter into judgment with thee, say thus: 
Lord, unless I hold the death of our Lord Jesus Christ 
between me and thee and thy judgment, I am not able 
to plead with thee. If he tells you that you have 
merited damnation, say unto him, I hold the death of 
our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my ill-deserts ; 
and instead of those merits which I ought to have, but 
alas, have not, I offer to thee the merit of his most 
meritorious passion." This exhortation was judged so 
orthodox and scriptural in the twelfth century, that it 
found its way into most of the Roman Catholic devo- 
tional works. Cardinal Hosius, indeed, referred to it 
as Catholic in doctrine, and it was not until the Council 
of Trent that it was found to contain articles of faith 
contrary to the belief of the church ; so it soon found a 
place in the Index Expurgatorius ! What will be said 
by Roman Catholics when they are informed that in 
the year 1584, several passages which deny the 
merit of good works, were commanded by the order of 
the Council of Trent to be blotted out of several books ? 
What will be said, when I affirrn, that from the office 
for the dying, the following questions and answers were 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 231 

expunged by the same authority : Q. " Dost thou be- 
lieve that thou shall come to Heaven not by thy own 
merits, but by the virtue and merit of Christ's passion ? 
A. I do believe it. Q. Dost thou believe that Christ 
died for our salvation, and that none can be saved by 
their own merits, or any other way but by the merits of 
his passion? A. I do believe it." These are the 
questions which, prior to the Council of Trent, were put 
by officiating ministers to dying Roman Catholics ; but 
that Council stretched forth its sacrilegious hand and 
robbed the members of the church of this sole founda- 
tion of their hope. 

Our Catholic friends sometimes ask : " Where was 
your religion before Luther ?" In the Bible we reply : 
and, so far as the doctrine of justification by grace is 
concerned, in St. Bernard, in Anselm, in those sentences 
which the Council of Trent expunged from the office of 
the church. To show you how Scripture triumphed 
over the Tridentine dogmas, I will read to you some 
of the last expressions of Cardinal Hosius, the very 
prelate who presided over the Council : — The following 
sentiments are taken from his last will : — " I approach 
the throne of thy grace, Father of mercies, and of all 
consolation, to the end that I may obtain mercy, and 
find grace in thy sight. Whensoever it shall please thee 
to demand back again that which thou hast committed 
to me, into thy hands I resign my spirit ; which if thou 
shouldst look upon as it is in itself, I confess it is not 
worthy to appear in the presence of thy Majesty, for it 
is full of all kind of pollution ; but if thou hast respect 
to the blood of thy Son, wherein it has been washed 



232 



LECTURE VI. 



and purified, and to those bitter torments which he 
suffered for our sins, that he might render us acceptable 
in thy sight ; they are worthy that for their sake thou 
shouldst give it eternal life, which he purchased at so 
great a price." He then desires that God would not look 
upon him as himself, but in the face of Jesus Christ. " I 
am not worthy," says he, " that thou shouldst behold 
me with the eyes of thy Majesty ; but as it is most 
worthy, that for the sake of his death, and passion, thou 
shouldst not only look upon me, but crown me also ; 
'tis therefore that I come unto thee, most dear Father, 
and that without any merits, but those inestimable ones 
of thy Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Redeemer; I 
bring thee the merit of that death, wherein alone I place 
all my hope and my confidence ; that is my righteous- 
ness, my satisfaction, my redemption, and my propitia- 
tion. The death of my Lord is my merit." And after 
that, having recited the words of St. Bernard in the 61st 
sermon upon the Canticles ; he adds, speaking of the 
blood of Jesus Christ, " Regard that price, for that 
price sake declare me worthy to be placed among the 
sheep at thy right handy 

Blessed, thrice blessed Gospel truth ! It is the light 
of the glorious Gospel of Christ ; it is the refuge of the 
distressed sinner ; it is the anchor of the rejoicing soul 
of the believer. What other doctrine can sustain the 
mind of the penitent, while in fear and trembling he 
prays, " God be merciful to me a sinner ?" What other 
doctrine can encourage the faith of the Christian while 
he surveys the absolute demerit of his best actions? 
What other doctrine but that of salvation by grace can 



THE ONE METHOD OP JUSTIFICATION. 233 

enable the dying Christian to say " thanks be to God 
which giveth me the victory I rejoice to be permitted 
to preach to Protestants and to Catholics this evening, 
salvation by the grace of God ; " Be it known unto you 
men and brethren, that through this man is preached 
unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him all that 
believe are justified from all things from which ye could 
not be justified by the law of Moses." 

III. We come now to the third proposition, — When 
God justifies a sinner, he justifies him wholly. 

This proposition you perceive is educed from the 
text : " And from all the things from which you could 
not be justified by the law of Moses, in him every one 
that believeth is justified." 

The Apostle evidently means all things with which 
man stands charged in the sight of God. The law of 
Moses, either ceremonial or moral, justified from nothing ; 
if therefore Paul's language means anything, it means 
that the evangelical justification of the sinner by God 
through Christ is perfect and complete ; that the sinner 
indeed is delivered from all the guilt of his original sin 
and all the guilt of his manifold offences ; delivered so 
fully as to be able to exclaim in the triumph of his faith, 
" There is now, therefore, no condemnation to them that 
are in Christ Jesus ;" and as long as this text remains 
in the Douay Bible it will witness with the clearness 
of the noon-day sun against the counter-teaching of 
the Church of Rome during the last four centuries. 
Her view as propounded by the Council of Trent is, 
that all guilt is not remitted in justification, that the 
accepted and reconciled child of God is still liable to 
temporal punishment on account of his sins. 



234 



LECTURE VT. 



Hence the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church 
which divides sin into mortal and venial ; a division 
which the Reformed Churches declare to be unscrip- 
tural, and against which, therefore, they protest. 

It is difficult to determine from Roman Catholic 
writers, which sins are mortal and which venial ; and it is 
surprising that in a matter of so great moment to man, 
a matter on which his endless interests are suspended, 
a holy and infallible Church, possessing such care and 
anxiety for the faithful as she professes to feel, should not, 
in some of her authorized formularies, have presented 
us with a list of those sins which are venial and of 
those which are mortal. The most consistent statement 
on the subject which I have been able to find is in the 
Theology of Peter Dens, the great text book of May- 
nooth College. It is found in the 1st vol., p. 362, &c. 
The work is written in Latin, but I shall give you 
a literal translation into English : 

" "What is vice (vitium) ? Vitium properly and theo- 
logically is defined ' a habit inclining to sin (adpeccatumy 
whence vitium is distinguished from peccatum as the 
habit from the act ; vitium and peccatum however are 
often taken for the same. 

" What is mortal sin ? It is that which of itself brings 
spiritual death to the soul, inasmuch as of itself it 
deprives the soul of sanctifying grace and charity in 
which the spiritual life of the soul consists. 

" What is venial sin ? That which doth not bring 
spiritual death to the soul ; or that which does not turn 
away from its ultimate end, or which is only slightly 



THE ONE METHOD OP JUSTIFICATION. 235 

repugnant to the order of right reason. It is moreover 
certain not only from the divine compassion, but from 
the nature of the thing, that there are venial sins, or so 
slight ones as in just men may consist with a state of 
grace and friendship with God." Mark, the following 
note, and see from it the terrible character of the evil 
which is involved in this unscriptural distinction : — 
" Although mortal sin differs much from venial, yet, by 
the testimony of St. Augustine, it is very difficult to 
discover, and most dangerous to define, what is mortal 
sin and what venial." " However," continues Dens, 
" some rules are every where assigned by theologians, 
by which it can generally be discovered what sins are 
in their own nature mortal or venial. When 
Scripture speaks of any sin in severe terms, that 
is to be considered mortal, e. g. if it call it scelus, 
nequitia, iniquita, abominatio, or says that it is worthy 
of death, hated by God, that it excludes from the king- 
dom of God, that it cries to heaven, if there be prefixed 
1 Alas,' <fcc, it is mortal. On the contrary, that sin 
is considered to be venial when Scripture uses milder 
expressions, as if it employs the word 'mote,' 1 stubble,' 
1 hay,' &c, or but slightly blames it, as in Prov. x. 19., 
1 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin,' and 
' Every idle word which man shall speak, they shall 
give an account thereof in the day of judgment.' " An 
idle word is of its own nature a venial sin, also a jocose 
or officious lie, excess in laughter, joy or sorrow, vain 
curiosity. The early motions of luxury, hatred, &c, are 
venial. 

" What sin is called venial from the smallness of the 



236 



LECTURE Vt, 



matter ? Tliat which of its oion nature is mortal sin, 
but in this act, here and now, is venial from the small- 
ness of the matter about which it is concerned ; thus 

THE THEFT OF ONE PENNY IS VENIAL fl'Om the SmallneSS 

of the matter, a trifling excess of drinking, &c." 

The time will not permit me to quote more extensively, 
though I greatly desire to do so. But yon have heard 
enough to show you what is the doctrine of the Roman 
Catholic Church on the nature of sin; and I shall 
wonder greatly if this extraordinary revelation does not 
strike every mind now present with astonishment and 
terror. I am sure there is not an intelligent Catholic 
in this Church whose conscience does not at once 
rebel against the immoral principles contained in these 
theological expositions. Where, in the word of God, 
have we ground for such doctrine ? The Bible says 
thou shalt not steal — the command is absolute; but 
the Catholic Church says, thou mayest steal a penny,, 
and yet continue in the grace and favor of God ; thou 
mayest exceed a little in drinking, and yet not lose the 
grace of true religion ! How different is this teaching 
from that of our Divine Jesus, when he explained on the 
Mount the spirituality of the law ? When he showed that 
an immodest look involves the commission of adultery, 
and that to be angry with a brother without cause is 
to commit murder % Is the teaching of Dens, or of his 
great Master, Thomas Aquinas, accordant with that of 
the apostle James : " But if you have respect to persons, 
you commit sin, beiDg reproved by the law as trans- 
gressors. And whosoever shall keep the whole law, but 
offend in one point, is become guilty of all." " So," 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 23 7 

says the Romish commentator, " the meaning is, 
that in matters relating to faith, the administer- 
ing of the sacraments, and other spiritual functions 
in God's Church, there should be no respect of persons ; 
but that the souls of the poor should be as much 
regarded as those of the rich. See Deut. i. 17. That 
is, he becomes a transgressor of the law in such a 
manner, that the observing of all other points will not 
avail him to salvation ; for he despises the lawgiver, and 
breaks through the great and general commandment of 
charity, even by one mortal sin. For all the precepts 
of the law are to be considered as one total and entire 
law, and as it were a chain of precepts where by 
breaking one link of this chain, the whole chain is 
broken, or the integrity of the law consisting of a col- 
lection of precepts. A sinner, therefore, by a grievous 
offence against any one precept, incurs eternal punish- 
ment : yet the punishment iu hell shall be greater for 
those who have been greater sinners, as a greater reward 
shall be for those in heaven who have lived with greater 
sanctity and perfection." 

Intimately involved in this distinction, is that other 
equally unscriptural dogma that the guilt and punish- 
ment of sin are two-fold. The following is the canon 
of the Council of Trent : " Whoever shall affirm, that 
when the grace of justification is received, the offence of 
the penitent sinner is so forgiven, and the sentence of 
eternal punishment reversed, that there remains no 
temporal punishment to be endured, before his entrance 
into the kingdom of heaven, either in this world, or in 
the future state, in purgatory : let him be accursed." 
l2 



v 



238 



LECTURE VI, 



But how is this canon to be reconciled with the state- 
ment of Paul in the epistle to Galatia, chap, ill., verse 
13, " Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the 
law, beiDg made a curse for us." The usual argument 
which our friends adopt is this : that the punishment of 
spiritual death is removed by justification may not be 
questioned ; but that because man is called to suffer the 
penalty of temporal death, it is clear that the temporal 
punishment is not removed. But it is forgotten that 
this temporal punishment as it is called, is no longer a 
punishment to the righteous man — that this curse of 
temporal death *is converted by the grace of Christ into 
a blessing ; so much so is this the case that the man of 
God desires to depart and to be with Christ, and that in 
his last moments the sting of death is extracted, the 
victory of the grave annulled, and the dying saint 
enabled to exclaim, " thanks be unto God which giveth 
me the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord." 

It is upon these distinctions of sin unto mortal and 
venial, and of punishment into eternal and temporal, 
that the novel scheme of indulgences rests ; a scheme 
at which we must at least glance in our present discus- 
sion. 

And here we willingly accord that many Protestants 
have fallen into error by supposing the authorized 
teaching of the Church of Rome to be, that indulgences 
are granted to the faithful for the remission of the 
guilt of all sins ; whereas her most eminent divines are 
careful to explain that mortal sins and spiritual guilt are 
not regarded by them at all ; that these indeed are 
taken away in absolution. I wish to be very clear in 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION, 239 

presenting the Roman Catholic view of this subject; 
and turn first to the 6th vol. of Dens' theology, p. 417, 
where I find the following: — Q. " What is an indul- 
gence ? A. It is the remission of the temporal punish- 
ment due to sins (already) remitted as to their guilt, 
effected by the power of the keys without a sacrament 
by the application of the satisfactions which are con- 
tained in the treasury of the church. Q. What is to 
be understood by the treasury of the church ? A. It is 
the accumulation of spiritual virtues {honor um) remain- 
ing in the divine acceptance, the disposition of Which 
is intrusted to the church. Q. From what things does 
this treasure grow ? Chiefly from the superabundant 
satisfactions of Christ, then from the overflowing satis- 
factions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the rest of the 
Saints." 

In the " End of Controversy," by Dr. Milner, we are 
presented with the following view of the scheme of 
indulgences : — " To explain, now, in a clear and regular 
manner, what an indulgence is ; I suppose, first, that 
ho one will deny that a sovereign prince, in showing 
mercy to a capital convict, may either grant him a re- 
mission of all punishment, or may leave him subject to 
some lighter punishment : of course he will allow that 
the Almighty may act in either of these ways with 
respect to sinners. I equally suppose that no person, 
who is versed in the Bible, will deny that many 
instances occur there of God's remitting the essential 
guilt of sin and the eternal punishment due to it, and 
yet leaving a temporary punishment to be endured by 
the penitent sinner. Thus, for example, the sentence 



240 



LECTURE VI. 



of spiritual death and everlasting torments was remitted 
to our first father, upon his repentance, but not that of 
corporal death." 

But what shall we say to this learned controver- 
sialist for sustaining by an appeal to Scripture, a 
scheme which the most celebrated doctors of his 
church, have declared to have no warrant from Scrip- 
ture ? Durandus says, very little can be affirmed 
with any certainty concerning indulgences, because 
neither the Scripture speaks expressly of them, and the 
Fathers Ambrose, Hilary, Augustine, and Jerome, speak 
not at all of them. He also says, that it is not clear 
that the power of the keys conferred upon the apostle 
Peter is to be understood of the power of granting indul- 
gences. Which of these divines are we to follow I Car- 
dinal Cajetan in the first volume of his works, speaking 
on this subject, says, " If we could have any certainty 
(si certitudo habere posset) concerning the origin 
of indulgences, it would help us much in the disquisition 
of the truth of purgatory." Alphonsus De Castro 
acknowledges that " many things are known to us of 
which the ancients were altogether ignorant such as 
indulgences, &c." I might also refer to Gabriel Biel, 
Navarius, St. Anthony, Archbishop of Florence, Cardi- 
nal Fisher, and others to the same purpose. What, 
again, shall we say to Dr. Milner, who is full of wrath 
against Bishop Porteus, for stating an indulgence to 
be a transfer of the over-plus of the saints' goodness 
joined with the merits of Christ," while Delahogue a 
great authority, in - Maynooth at least, asserts : " In- 
dulgences remit, even in God's forum, the debt of 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 241 



temporal punishment which would else remain to be 
satisfied, either in this life or in purgatory, after the 
remission of the guilt of sin ; they derive their efficacy 
from the treasure of the Church, which treasure 
consists, primarily, of the merits and satisfactions of 
Christ ; for, as a single drop of his blood was sufficient 
for the redemption of the sins of the whole world, there 
remains an infinite hoard of his merits at the disposal 
of the Church for the service of her children ; and, 
secondarily, of the merits and satisfactions of the Virgin 
Mary and other saints, who underwent far severer suf- 
ferings than their own sins required; which super- 
abundance and almost superfluity of sufferings of theirs 
form a sort of bank or deposit, out of which the Church 
may make disbursements for the common benefit of the 
faithful, in the way of payment (via solutionis) for the 
punishments or satisfactions due from them." 

1. We protest against Indulgences because, by the 
showing of Catholic writers themselves, they have no 
authority in the word of God. 

2. We protest against Indulgences because, by the 
showing of Catholic writers themselves, they have no 
authority in the writings of the early Fathers. 

3. We protest against Indulgences because, they are 
so worded as not to maintain even the Roman Catholic 
distinction between spiritual and temporal guilt. -Intel- 
ligent Catholics will not dare to deny that, whatever 
may be the case with the literate portion of the Church, 
the illiterate and common people are frequently misled. 
In travelling through Sicily, on one occasion, having to 
remain, for a few hours, in a town in the interior, my 



242 



LECTURE VI. 



attention was directed to three monks who were moving 
through the streets followed by a crowd of the lower 
orders of the people. I observed that one of these 
monks had a large number of printed papers in his 
hand, and that another was ringing a small bell to draw 
the attention of the townsfolk to the business which 
they had in hand. Upon inquiry I found that they 
were dispensing Indulgences. Wishful to procure a 
copy, I desired the keeper of the hotel to purchase one, 
which he did for a small silver coin. That indulgence, 
I now hold in my hand ; the proceeds of the sale, it is 
said, were to be devoted to the maintenance of the 
religious orders of the Church in the Holy Land. I 
will read one sentence from this document : — " For the 
benefit of the holy places and the sanctity of the faith, our 
Lord, Pope Benedict XIV., conceded a plenary indul- 
gence in the article of death, and remission of all sins to 
officials and benefactors of the Holy Land." What, I ask, 
would be the probable effect of the possession of such a 
document upon the mind of an ignorant person ? The 
Pope concedes to him a plenary indulgence in the 
article of death, and remission of all his sins. What 
does he know of those nice distinctions in theological 
philosophy which have been drawn by the doctors 
of his Church ? Peter Dens himself complains of 
the strong language which is employed in the Bulls 
of the Popes, as ascribing too much to their indul- 
gences ; and no marvel while Pope Boniface IX. granted 
indulgences from punishment and from guilt, a Poena et 
a Culpa; and Clement VIII, whom Bellarmine magnifies 
for his care in reforming indulgences, grants a most 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 



243 



plenary remission of sins; no marvel while Clement VI. 
m his bull, published jout of the Utrecht , manuscript, 
not only gives a plenary absolution to all persons who 
died in the way to Rome, but also demands the Angels 
of Paradise to cany the soul immediately to heaven ! 

4. We protest against indulgences because they 
lead to superstition. Upon the minds of the common 
people they produce the same influence which the 
charms of witchcraft produced in olden times. Con- 
firmatory of this I shall read one line merely appended 
to the indulgence which I procured in Sicily : — " This 
indulgence is profitable against lightning, earthquake, 
thunder, thunderbolts, and other afflictions." 

5. Lastly, we protest against indulgences, because 
they lead to the commission of sin. They encourage 
sin, and to their influence we ascribe the confessedly- 
low state of morals in Italy, Spain, and other Roman 
Catholic countries. If a man may, by absolution, 
obtain remission of spiritual and eternal guilt, and by 
indulgences be freed from temporal punishment, under 
what restraint is he placed ? "What is there to keep 
him from the commission of the basest crimes ? I shall 
give you the opinion of Antonius, one of the Trentine 
fathers, as to the state of the church in the sixteenth 
century, when the scheme of indulgences was in full 
vigour. It may be found in an address which he 
delivered before the Council : — He called upon the 
Council to " consider the depravation of manners, the 
turpitude of vice, the contempt of the sacraments, the 
solicitude of earthly things, and the forgetfulness of 
celestial good, and of all Christian piety :" Each sue- 



244 



LECTURE VI. 



ceeding day witnessed a "deterioration in devotion, 
divine grace, Christian virtue, and other spiritual attain- 
ments." ETo age had ever seen " more tribunals and less 
justice ; more senators and less care of the common- 
wealth ; more indigence and less charity ; or greater 
riches and fewer alms." This neglect of justice and alms 
was " attended with public adultery, rapine, exaction, 
taxation, oppression, drunkenness, gluttony, pomp of 
dress, superfluity of expense, contamination of luxury, 
and effusion of Christian blood "^ Women displayed 
" lasciviousness and effrontery ; youth, disorder and in- 
subordination ; and age, impiety and folly :" while never 
had there, in all ranks, " appeared less honour, virtue, 
modesty, and fear of God, or more licentousness, abuse, 
and exorbitance of sensuality." The Pastor was " without 
vigilance, the Preacher without works, the law without 
subjection, the people without obedience, the monk 
without devotion, the rich without humility, the female 
without compassion, the young without discipline, and 
every Christian without religion." The wicked were 
" exalted, and the good depressed." Virtue was despised, 
and vice, in its stead, reigned in the world. " Usury, 
fraud, adultery, fornication, enmity, revenge and blas- 
phemy" enjoyed "distinction;" while "worldly and 
perverse men, being encouraged and congratulated in 
their wickedness, boasted of their villany." 

IV. We shall now adduce a fourth proposition : — 
The merits op our Lord Jesus Christ constitute 
the only satisfaction which god either accepts 
or demands for the justification of a sinner. 

Any one who is in the habit of reading the New 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 



245 



Testament does not demand proof of the scripturalness 
of this proposition. It is emblazoned upon almost 
every page of the Holy Evangelists ; it is the living 
breath of the sermons of the blessed apostles, as recorded 
by Luke in the book of their Acts ; it is the burden of 
their epistolary communications to the several churches 
of whose establishment they were the instruments ; and 
in the heavenly vision of the beloved John, it is recorded 
as the great subject which inspires the worship of 
angels, and the songs of the redeemed in the world of 
glory. Saith Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews, 
" Christ was once offered to exhaust the sins of many, 
i. e., according to the Rhemist expositor, in language 
equally beautiful and forcible — " to empty or draw out 
to the very bottom, by a plentiful and perfect redemp- 
tion." How sublime in simplicity is that portion of St. 
John's narrative of the crucifixion in which the com- 
pleteness of Christ's sacrifice, and the perfection of his 
merits are set forth : — " Afterwards Jesus knowing 
that all things were now accomplished, that the scrip- 
ture might be fulfilled, said : I thirst. Now there was 
a vessel set there full of vinegar. And they putting a 
sponge full of vinegar about hyssop, put it to his mouth. 
Jesus therefore when he had taken the vinegar, said : 
It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave 
up the ghost." 

We have found it desirable in former lectures to 
mark those points of agreement which exist amongst 
Roman Catholics and Protestants. Let us follow the 
same course in considering the doctrine of satisfaction 
for sin. We all believe that God in his infinite wisdom^ 



246 



LECTURE VI. 



did not think fit to pardon the sins of mankind without 
a vicarious sacrifice, that our Lord Jesus Christ became 
that sacrifice through the merits of which God is wil- 
ling to pardon sin ; and that to all true penitents the 
efficacy of that sacrifice is available for everlasting sal- 
vation. Thus far we are agreed ; but here comes the 
point of difference : Protestants declare that, according 
to the scripture, whenever the guilt of sin is taken away 
the punishment is remitted also. Roman Catholics 
assert that when the eternal punishment of sin is re- 
mitted, the penitent must satisfy the justice of God, so 
far as the temporal punishment is concerned, by doing 
voluntary or compulsory acts of penance, by obtaining 
indulgences, or undergoing the penalty in purgatory. 
That I have not mis-stated this doctrine is clear from the 
following answers in Bishop Butler's Catechism, (pp. 53, 
54) : Q. " What do you mean by the penance enjoined 
by the confessor ? A. The prayers and other good 
works which he enjoins on penitents, in satisfaction for 
their sins. Q. Why does the Church grant indul- 
gences ? A. To assist our weakness, and to supply our 
insufficiency in satisfying the Divine Justice for our 
transgressions." In the fourteenth canon of the 14th 
Session of the Council of Trent, I read as follows : 
" Whoever shall affirm, that the satisfactions by which 
penitents redeem themselves from sin through Christ 
Jesus, are no part of the service of God, but, on the 
contrary, human traditions, which obscure the doctrine 
of grace, and the true worship of God, and the benefits 
of the death of Christ: let him be accursed." 

The Council teaches also at the same session, " that 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 247 

such is the abundance of the Divine bounty that we are 
able to make satisfaction to God the Father through 
Christ Jesus, not only by punishments voluntarily en- 
dured by us as chastisements for sin, or imposed at the 
pleasure of the priest according to the degree of the 
offence, but also (and this is an amazing proof of love) 
by temporal pains inflicted by God himself, and by us 
patiently borne." 

This is the ground of that system of penances which 
are undergone by Roman Catholics, sometimes by self- 
infliction, at others by command of the priest. These 
penances vary in cruelty and duration, and sometimes 
they are voluntarily assumed by Catholic devotees 
for the purpose of increasing the capital stock of merit 
which has been entrusted to the church. 

And here I wish to offer a remark on the introduc- 
tion into Roman Catholic versions of the Bible, of the 
expressions " penance" and " do penance" as transla- 
tions of the Greek words jieaTvoia repentance fxeravoeire 
repent. Roman Catholics consider the Latin word 
pcenitentia, coming from the word pcena, punishment, 
as, under all circumstances conveying the idea of penal 
or satisfactory punishment. This term, however, is not 
an exact rendering of the word which the Holy Ghost 
employed, which is derived from fiera, implying change 
and vovg, the mind ; and therefore must mean a change 
of mind — a spiritual change. This consequently can 
have little to do with bodily austerities. We see the 
inconsistency of rendering the word /xgrajW/oxtre, " do 
penance," in the address of- Peter : — " Now when they 
had heard these things, they had compunction in their 



248 



LECTURE VI, 



heart, and said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles 5 
What shall we do, men and brethren ? But Peter said 
to them : Do penance, and be baptized every one of 
you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
your sins : and you shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Ghost." Here is a proof that Peter employed the word 
in a very different sense from that in which it is under- 
stood by the Church of Rome. Could the apostle mean 
by this command, " Do penance and be baptized." If 
he intended this, Roman Catholics do not follow the 
apostolic order and practice, for they say, " Be baptized 
and do penance." 

The following penance is recommended by Dens for 
voluntary drunkenness : "That he should read for two 
days the psalm miserere on his knees ; that he should 
fast twice in the week ; and that he should distribute 
to the poor twice as much as he has spent in drink. 
But if he be a poor man and a labourer, he is to recite 
for three successive days on his knees five Paters and 
Aves, for two days, not to drink anything before noon 
and in the evening to eat only half a meal ; on the two 
next Sundays not to enter Church, but after mid-day he 
may go to preachings or to praises." And this is the 
satisfaction which the drunkard is required by the 
Church of Rome to add to the infinite satisfaction of 
Jesus Christ ! Observe, there is no direction for him to 
abandon his sin, to look to Christ. Again ; his punish- 
ment consists, chiefly at least, in some of the high 
privileges of Christianity, those of prayer, alms giving, 
and the reading of the word of God. 

I will now give you an instance of self-torture from a 



T&E ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 



249 



document intitled : — The austerities of Santa Rosa, 
who was canonized by Pope Clement X., A. D. 1673.— 
Extracted from the collection of the Constitutions pub- 
lished by the Popes at the solemn canonization of Saints 
from John JF., to Benedict XIV. ; that is, from the 
year of our Lord 998, to the year 1729. Superintended 
by Justus Fontaninus, Archbishop of Ancyra. Printed 
at Rome, 1729, at the press of the Rev. Apostolic 
Chamber. — From the Bull of Canonization. 

" She changed the stones and crosses, with which 
when going to prayer in her childhood, and as yet 
ignorant of the use of whips, she was loaded by her maid, 
Marianne, who was almost the only person conscious of 
her mortifications, into iron chains, which she prepared 
as scourges, with which, after the examples of St. 
Dominick, every night she offered herself a bloody 
victim to God to avert his just anger, even to the copious 
effusion of streams of blood, either for the sorrows of 
the holy Church, or for the necessities of the endangered 
kingdom or the city of Lima, or compensating the wrongs 
of sinners, or for making any expiation for the souls of 
the dead, or for obtaining Divine aid for those who 
were in their last agonies ; the servants be sometimes 
horror-struck at such dreadful blows of the chains. 
And when the use of these were forbidden to her, she 
privately encircled her waist with one of them bound 
thrice round her, so that it never was apparent that she 
wore it, except when "she was under the tortures of the 
sciatica ; which chain was afterwards loosened only by 
a miracle, and its links after the virgin's death were 
found to emit a wondrous and indescribably sweet 



250 



LECTURE VI. 



odour. Lest any part of her innocent body should be 
free from suffering, she tortured her arms and limbs 
with penal chains, and stuffed her breast and sides with 
handfuls of nettles and small briars. She afterwards 
increased the sharpness of the haircloth, which reached 
from her neck beneath her knees, by needles mixed up 
with it, which she used for many years, until she was 
ordered to put it off on account of the frequent vomit- 
ing of blood. "When she laid aside this punishment 
she substituted another garment less injurious to her 
health, but not less troublesome. For beneath it every 
movement was painful to her. Her feet only were free 
from these sufferings, which, either by hitting them with 
stones or by the burning of an oven, she did not suffer 
to be free from torture. ... 

" She fixed upon her head a tin crown, with sharp 
little nails in it, and for many years never put it on 
without receiving wounds; when she grew older, this 
was replaced by one which was armed with ninety 
points. . . . 

" She desired the hardness of her bed to be such that 
it should "rather drive away than invite sleep, so that 
when about to sleep, the same should be both a bed to 
her and an instrument of torture. Her pillow was 
either an unpolished trunk, or stones concealed for this 
purpose ; which bed she afterwards so filled with sharp 
pieces of tiles and triangular pieces of broken jugs, that 
the sharp points of each should be turned to her body ; 
nor did she try to sleep until she had embittered her 
mouth with a draught of gall. 

" Near the time of her death, Rosa throughout Lent 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 251 

alternately sang the canticles and praises of God every- 
day for a whole hour with a very melodious bird, in so 
orderly a manner, that when the bird sang the virgin 
was silent, and when the virgin sang, the bird, who was 
most attentive, ceased to sing. She invited, moreover, 
the inanimate plants, after an unheard-of fashion, to 
praise and pray to God, pronouncing the verse, ' Bless 
the Lord, all ye things which bud on the earth ;' and 
she so visibly persuaded them, that the tops of the trees 
touched the earth, as if adoring their Creator with a 
solemn veneration." 

Xavier, Liguori, and many others have practised 
equally severe austerities. The doctrine against which 
we are protesting leads to such practices, but I ask is it 
according to the Word of God ! Is it according to the 
testimony of the ancient fathers ? St. Ambrose says, 
" Of tears, I read ; of satisfaction, I read not ;" and 
our Heavenly Father says, "I will have mercy 
and not sacrifice." My beloved hearers, how does 
this doctrine detract from the glorious and ample 
sufficiency of the sacrifice of Jesus, that any supposed' 
merit of ours should be represented as adding to his 
merit, that these Pater Nosters and Ave Marias, and 
fastings and flagellations, these suicidal sufferings should 
make satisfaction for that for which his blood does not 
make satisfaction, is methinks to seek to dilute with 
human frailties, and to pollute with human sins, that 
precious blood of our Redeemer, which cleanseth from 
all sin. To what strange inconsistencies are men 
led by a departure from the Word of the Living 
God! 



252 



LECTURE VI. 



V. One other proposition, and only one, have we to 
advance and sustain this evening : — Faith in the 

ATONEMENT OP CHRIST, IS THE GRAND, SOLE, SCRIPTURAL 
CONDITION OF JUSTIFICATION. 

Passage after passage could I repeat from the Douay 
Bible in support of this proposition, but I have time to 
adduce but two or three. And first, let me invite you 
to consider the case of the jailor at Philippi, who sought 
direction from the apostle Paul respecting his salvation. 
" What," said he, " must I do that I may be saved ? 
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be 
saved ?" What saith Paul to the Galatians ? " By the 
works of the law no flesh shall be justified before him." 
What saith he again ? " We account a man to be 
justified by faith without the works of the law." 

Ought not these passages to be sufficient to set at 
rest the entire question ? They satisfied the mind of 
St. Hilary, who in the ninth canon upon Matthew plainly 
says, " Faith only justifieth." They satisfied St. 
Basil, another father of the Church, who thus wrote : 
" This is a perfect and a whole rejoicing in God when a 
man advance th not himself for his own righteousness 
but acknowledged himself to lack true justice and 
righteousness, and to be justified by the only faith in 
Christ." " Paul," he continues, " doth glory in con- 
tempt of his own righteousness, and looketh for the 
righteousness of God by faith." These passages satisfied 
Ambrose, another father, who says, " This is the 
ordinance of God, that they who believe in Christ should 
be saved without works, by faith only, freely receiving 
remission of their sins." And yet we are anathematized 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 253 

by the Couneil of Trent for holding these views of the 
early fathers ! There is one ground of complaint which 
Protestants rightly, as I think, urge against their Roman 
Catholic brethren in relation to this subject Our friends 
unfairly and untruthfully represent the Protestant 
doctrine of justification by faith only ; as though we 
meant, by being justified freely by grace through 
faith, that this faith is alone in man without true repen- 
tance, hope, charity, dread, and the fear of God, at any 
time and season. Now, when we say that believers are 
justified freely by faith, we do not mean that nothing is 
afterwards required from the justified person. " This 
saying," to employ the exposition of one of the Homilies 
of the Church of England, " that we be justified by 
faith only, freely and without works is spoken for to 
take away clearly all merit of our works as being 
unable to deserve our justification at God's hands, and 
thereby most plainly to express the weakness of man 
and the goodness of God ; the great infirmity of ourselves, 
and the might and power of God ; the imperfectness of 
our own works, and the most abundant grace of our 
Saviour Christ ; and therefore wholly to ascribe the 
merit and deserving of our justification unto Christ only, 
and his most precious blood shedding." The eleventh, 
twelfth, and thirteenth Articles of the Church of England 
seem to exhaust this branch of our subject. " We are 
accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not 
for our own works or deservings : Wherefore, that we 
are justified by Faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, 
and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in 

M 



254 



LECTURE VI. 



the Homily of J ustification. Albeit that Good Works, 
which are the fruits of Faith, and follow after Justifica- 
tion, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity 
of God's Judgment ; yet are they pleasing and accept- 
able to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of 
a true and lively Faith; insomuch that by them a 
lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree 
discerned by the fruit. "Works done before the grace 
of Christ, and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not 
pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith 
in Jesus Christ, neither do they make men meet to 
receive grace, or (as the School-authors say) deserve 
grace of congruity : yea rather, for that they are not 
done as God hath willed and commanded them to be 
done, we doubt not but that they have the nature, of sin." 

Here we have the key to the interpretation of the 
language of St. James, respecting the justification of 
Abraham, upon which the Roman Catholic Church so 
confidently relies for the support of her particular views. 
St. Paul says of Abraham that he was justified by faith, 
St. James, that he was justified by works. Now it is to 
be noted that these apostles refer to different periods in 
the life of the Patriarch ; St. Paul, to the period when 
God promised that Isaac should be born ; and St. J ames to 
the period when Abraham obeyed God as to the offering 
up of Isaac. Surely the Patriarch was justified when he 
believed God's promise concerning the birth of a son, 
for it is said that the faith was imputed to him unto 
justification. James speaking of a period forty-one years 
afterwards, when Abraham obeyed the voice of God, 
says that he was justified by works. How ? Why he 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 255 

proved that his faith was not dead ; he was justified in 
the sight of men by his works ; he demonstrated to all 
the world that he had faith, for he brought forth its 
fruits. Here then we have a spiritual justification by 
God through faith only, and a declarative justification 
by ourselves through works ; I mean, that we declare 
ourselves truly justified by God, when we bring forth 
the fruits of faith. 

Protestants do not deny, that there is needed, in 
every sinner, a preparation of heart before he can 
savingly believe. No sinner, for example, will even 
seek, much less obtain justification, unless he is convinced 
by the Holy Spirit of God of the evil of sin ; unless the 
conviction is so deep as to lead to contrition and sorrow 
of spirit, — so deep as to lead him to confess his trans- 
gressions unto the Lord. 

We now wish to show another difference between 
Protestants and their Roman Catholic neighbours. With 

US THE PENITENT CONFESSES HIS SINS TO GOD, and 

asks for pardon through Christ. With them the 
penitent confesses to the puiest, and asks absolution 
from the Church. 

There are few tenets of the Church of Rome against 
which Protestants feel so strong an objection as that 
of auricular confession, i. e., the confession of sin in 
the ear of the Priest of the Church. We read in the 
Bible of confession of sin, but it is in the following 
language, " I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and 
my injustice have I not concealed." I read in 1 John 
i. 9, " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to 
forgive us our sins ;" but there is not one word here of 



256 



LECTURE VI. 



confession to the priest. In the Epistle of James, chapter 
v, verse 16, T find the following passage: — "Confess 
therefore your sins one to another: and pray one for 
another, that you may be saved. For the continual 
prayer of a just man availeth much." " Confess 
your sins to one another. That is," says the Catholic 
annotator, " to the priest of the church, whom (verse 
14,) he had ordered to be called for, and brought 
to the sick ; moreover, to confess to persons who 
had no power to forgive sins, would be useless. 
Hence the precept here means, that we must confess to 
men whom God hath appointed, and who, by their 
ordination and jurisdiction, have received the power of 
remitting sins in his name." Notwithstanding this note, 
Cardinal Cajetan, as we find in Catharinus lib. v, p. 444, 
would not allow " any one place of Scripture to prove 
auricular confession." Maldonat an old canonist of the 
Church says, " that all the interpreters of the decrees 
held that there w r as no divine precept for confession to 
a priest f and Gregory de Valentia, writing on this very 
subject acknowledged that some good Catholics did " not 
believe in its necessity." 

Protestants must have the letter of the word of God, 
enjoining upon them the absolute necessity of confessing 
to a priest, before they will be content to pour into the 
ear of any mortal, of any one indeed but God their 
Heavenly Father, all the secret thoughts and workings 
of their hearts ; they must have higher authority than 
the twelfth century, before they can allow their wives 
and their daughters to be put upon the rack, which Dr. 
Chaloner has constructed in his " Garden of the Soul," 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION". 25 7 

and which I would read to you this evening did not 
decency forbid. If every ancient father of the Church 
prescribed auricular confession, and the word of God 
remained as it does in even the Douay Bible, Protest- 
ants would reject the dogma as unscriptural, as unsafe, 
as contributing to immorality of life, both in ministers 
and in people. But the ancient fathers are against the 
Church of Ronie here, and I bid every Roman Catholic 
to mark this. " What have I to do with men," inquires 
St. Augustine, " that they should hear my confession, as 
though they could heal my disease." " I do not force you" 
says Chrysostom, " to disclose your sins to men ; review 
and lay open your conscience before God. Show your 
wounds to the Lord, the best of physicians, and seek 
medicine from him." 

Here then is another novelty which the Church of 
Rome has introduced into her creed and practice, for 
as we have already shown, auricular confession is sup- 
ported neither by the letter of Scripture, nor by the 
voice of antiquity. 

While on this subject, having referred to the immoral 
effects of the confessional, I must quote the following 
from Dens : — 

" What is the seal of sacramental confession ? It is 
the obligation or debt of concealing those things which 
are known from sacramental confession. 

" Can a case be stated in which it is lawful to break 
the sacramental seal ? It cannot be stated, though the 
life or safety of a man or even the ruin of the state 
should depend upon it ; nor can the supreme Pontiff 
dispense with it ; so that on that account this secret of 



258 



LECTURE VI. 



the seal is more binding than the obligation of an oath, 
or vow, or a natural secret ; and that by the positive 
will of God. 

" What therefore ought a confessor to answer being 
interrogated concerning truth, which he has known 
through sacramental confession alone ? He ought to 
answer that he does not know it ; and if necessary 
confirm the same by an oath. 

" It is objected that it is in no case lawful to tell a 
falsehood, but the confessor would tell a falsehood, 
because he knows the truth. Answer. I deny the minor 
i. e., that the confessor would lie, because such confessor 
is interrogated as a man and replies as a man ; but 
now he does not know that truth as a man though he 
knows it as God ; and that sense is naturally inherent 
in the reply for when he is interrogated or replies out 
of confession he is considered as a man." 

Such are the enormities which we have been com- 
pelled to lay before you, and to which this doctrine 
unquestionably leads. 

And now, fellow-sinners, suffer me to recall your 
thoughts to a consideration, for a few minutes only, of 
the grace and the glory of that doctrine which is revealed 
to us in the text, the doctrine of justification by faith 
only. I call you fellow-sinners, for I feel that I myself 
am a guilty sinner before God, and that you, my 
brethren in the flesh are guilty too. But oh ! the won- 
drous grace, the boundless wisdom, the almighty power 
of God have discovered, devised, and executed a scheme 
of righteous mercy for the removal, the present removal, 
of your guilt and of my guilt, of all the guilt of our 
every soul. 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 259 

What is it to be justified before God ? It is to have 
my sins forgiven ; my poor unworthy soul acquitted 
and accepted ; it is to have my offended Father 
embracing me his prodigal child, clothing me with the 
best robe, the robe of righteousness, placing the signet 
of his love upon my finger, and killing for the feast of 
joy the fatted calf. Can I justify myself? No ! It is 
God that justifieth. Can any priest or prelate bestow 
on me this grace of pardon ? No ! " It is God that 
justifieth." " I, even I am He that blotteth out thy trans- 
gressions for my namesake." Can I contribute to my 
justification ? No, for what am I ? All my righteous- 
nesses are but as filthy rags ; I am a worm ; I am a man 
of unclean lips ; I have broken the Divine commands 
and if I could even now render obedience, this obedience 
would not atone for past transgression. " Whither oh 
whither shall I fly ?" Whither ? to Christ my 
only Lord, my only righteousness. Whither? to 
Jesus who saves his people from their sins ; to 
Jesus who bare my sins in his own body on the 
tree ; to Jesus, my suffering, crucified, bleeding, 
dying Saviour; my risen, exalted, interceding Lord. 
Shall I then attempt to add to his merit by lacerating 
this poor sinful body ? No ! for by His stripes and not 
my own am I healed. Shall I pierce myself with spikes 
and thorns for the purpose of helping to satisfy the 
claims of divine justice ? No ! for He was wounded for 
my transgressions. Shall I chastise my sinful flesh ? 
Shall I macerate this polluted clay ? No ! for the 
chastisement of my peace was upon Him, and He 
was bruised for my iniquities ; He is my al l, and it 



260 



LECTURE VI„ 



is only for me to come to God with a broken and con- 
trite spirit, renouncing all trust in my own righteous- 
ness, accepting Christ as my Saviour, and trusting in 
his righteousness and in his only, and then 

" My debt is paid ; iny soul is free, 
And I am justified." 

I need no other satisfaction than this ; it is all suffi- 
cient, for it is infinite and it is present. And how vast 
the love and condescension of my heavenly Father I 
He permits me to approach him through Christ ; to 
Him I may confess my sins, whether I am in the closet y 
or in the busy world ; whether I am in a church, or a 
conventicle ; whether I am on the mountain top, or on 
the verdant plain ; whether I am gently gliding down 
the river stream, or tempest-tossed upon the ocean wave ; 
whether I am wading through the snows of Greenland,, 
or panting beneath a vertical sun in the deserts of 
Africa ; whether I am in youth or in years, whether I 
am in health or in sickness, whether I am just entering 
into life, or quitting upon the bed of death this mortal 
vale ; wherever I am, or in whatever circumstances, I 
have a confessional, I have an ear open to my confes- 
sions of sin, an ear into which I can pour without 
restraint the troubles of my penitent spirit, and that 
ear is the ear of God,— my Father ! into that ear 
I can utter my penitent complaint ! I have also a 
Priest who has power upon earth to forgive sins, and 
that is Jesus Christ the Great High Priest of the 
Christian Catholic Church. I hear that Father 
say : " Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
made as white as snow : and if they be red as crimson 



THE ONE METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION. 261 

they shall be white as wool and I hear my High 
Priest say : " Son be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven 
thee." 

No other absolution do I need, this is all sufficient 
and I go on my way rejoicing ; no other satisfaction, 
for in him are my sins exhausted ; No masses, for he 
was once offered in the end of the world to take away 
sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

My dear hearers, have you thus come to God through 
Christ ? Are you mourning before him this evening on 
account of your sins ? Are you anxious for the com- 
munication of pardoning mercy. Are you pouring 
into the ear of the Lord God of Sabaoth your confes- 
sions of sin ? Are you coming to God through your 
only Priest ? Are you trusting to him alone making 
mention of his righteousness, and of his only ? 

Come , ray guilty brethren, come, 
Groaning beneath your load of sin, 

His bleeding heart shall make you room, 
His open side shall take you in ; 

He calls you now, invites you home, 

Come, my guilty brethren, come ; 

Cast your souls for a present conscious pardon upon the 
infinite merits of your Divine Redeemer, so being 
justified by faith you shall have peace with God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. 



m2 



LECTURE VII. 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 

"There is not, probably, one of my bearers, who would 
be disposed to deny, that the design of 'Christianity is 
to make men boly. More than this, I question whether 
there is within these walls, an individual, either Protest- 
ant or Catholic, who will not agree with the speaker 
that that form of religion which tends not to individual 
and ecclesiastical holiness, is unworthy of the designa- 
tion Christian. If it is true that " a tree is known by 
its fruit," and if it is righteous to apply this principle, 
as we may call it, to Churches, we might argue, d priori^ 
that that system or section of Christianity which most 
successfully accomplishes this end, approaches nearest 
to that divine original which has been sketched out in 
the Few Testament. We are quite willing to meet 
our Roman Catholic friends on this ground, and are 
glad that an opportunity will be afforded in the course 
of this evening's lecture. 

The subject which we have now to discuss, leads us 
to consider not only theory of doctrine, but also 
practice of life ; not only what we believe, but also, yea 
chiefly, what we are, and what we do. Members of the 
Roman Catholic Church often assail their Protestant 
brethren with the charge of nullifying the sanctity of 
the Christian religion by the impious doctrine of Justi- 



264 



LECTURE VII. 



ficatiou by faith only. In a work entitled "Grounds of 
Catholic Doctrine, now in use for the reception of con- 
verts into the Church," printed and published by a 
Roman Catholic bookseller in this city, I find the follow- 
ing description of Protestants : — " Their church is not 
Holy, neither in her doctrine, which, especially in the 
first ' reformers,' was shamefully scandalous in the 
encouraging lust and breaking of vows; blasphemous 
in charging Cod with being the author of sin ; and 
notoriously wicked in their notions of free-will and pre- 
destination ; nor is she Holy in the lives, either of her 
first teachers, — none of which were remarkable for 
sanctity, and the greater part of them infamous for their 
vices, — or, of their followers, who, as many of their 
chief Protestant writers have freely owned, instead of 
growing better than they were before, by embracing 
the 'reformed religion,' grew daily worse and worse." 
Again: — "It is visible to any unprejudiced eye, that 
there is not so much devotion, zeal or religion amongst 
Protestants, as there is amongst Catholics. We never 
hear of any instances of extraordinary sanctity amongst 
them." 

In " Catholic Tracts," No. 8, by Rev. T. Baddely, 
entitled, " A sure way to find out the true religion," I 
find this comparison of Roman Catholicism and Pro- 
testanism: — "The holiness of the Catholic religion is 
indeed very different from that of other religions ; 
because the religions taught by men teach doctrines 
invented by Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Whitfield, and 
other deluded and wicked men ; whereas the Catholic 
Church teaches only that doctrine which Christ taught 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION, 265 

his apostles ; consequently, if it was holy then, it is 
holy now." Again : — " There is nothing in the Protest- 
ant religion that can make a man more holy or more 
virtuous. They have no sacrifice, nor sacraments, 
except baptism, and that they begin to make light 
account of. They receive .no benefit when they go 
to the Lord's Supper, because they receive nothing but 
a sup of wine and a morsel of bread ; they have nO 
houses of devotion, no convents, or monasteries ; 
scarcely a book of spirituality." 

Dr. Milner, one of the most liberal of Roman 
Catholic controvertists, gives the following opinion of 
Protestant sanctity : — u In a former letter to your 
society, I have stated that sincere humility, by which, 
from a thorough knowledge of our sins and misery, we 
become little in our own eyes, and try to avoid, rather 
than to gain the praise and notice of others, is the very 
groundwork of all other Christian virtues. It has been 
objected to Protestants, ever since the defection of their 
arrogant patriarch, Luther, that they have said little, 
and have appeared to understand less, of this essential 
virtue. I might say the same with respect to the neces- 
sity of an entire subjugation of our other congenial 
passions, avarice, lust, anger, intemperance, envy, and 
sloth, as I have said of pride and vain glory " 

Without dwelling upon the uncharitableness of many 
of these remarks, I will just say that these friends of Pro- 
testant humanity either knew, or ought to have known 
that a change of heart and sanctity of life are insisted 
on by all Evangelical Protestant communities, as essen- 
tial to Christian character. 



266 



LECTURE VII, 



These observations have been suggested by the sub- 
ject which has been appropriated to this evening's 
discourse: — Regeneration by the Holy Spirit. "The 
words which I have selected for a text are found in 
the Gospel according to St. John, chapter iii., verse 5 : — 

" Jesus answered : Amen, amen, I say to thee, 
unless a man be born again of water and the 
Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdom 
op God." 

We are to speak, then, of something without which 
all other things are vain. If it can not be predicated 
of us that we are born again, we are unfit for the king- 
dom of God ; yea, we can never see it. We may be 
intelligent and intellectual, we may be orthodox and 
moral, we may have the true Bible, and the true Priest- 
hood, and the true visible Church, and the true 
Sacraments ; but, if we are not born again, all these 
outward circumstances and accidents will avail us 
nothing. As St. Paul saith, in his letter to the Gala- 
tians, "neither circumcision avail eth any thing, nor 
uncircumcision, but a new creature." What then are 
Church Unity, and Church Infallibility, and Church 
Apostolicity, without the New Birth ? Here is some- 
thing which concerns you all, the responsibility of 
which, you cannot shift upon either priest or church; 
for the Blessed Saviour comes to you in his Gospel, and, 
as with the voice of thunder, exclaims, to every one of 
you, "you must be born again." 

* The word TraXiyyeveala, regeneration, taken in its 
comprehensive sense, denotes any entire alteration of 

* See Knapp. 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 267 

state by which one is brought into a wholly new and 
reformed condition. The change indicated by the term 
is, however, invariably a change for the better. Cicero, 
for example, calls his restoration from exile, a regene- 
ration; and Josephus denominates the restoration of 
the Jewish land after the captivity, a regeneration of 
the' country. In Roman law, the manumission of a 
slave was called his regeneration. In Matthew xix., 
verse 28, the word is employed to denote the change 
from this to the heavenly world : " Verily, I say unto 
you, that ye who have followed me ; in the regeneration, 
when the son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, 
you also shall sit on twelve seats, judging the twelve 
tribes of Israel." 

When the Israelites spoke of a person changing his 
religion, they used the phrases birth, and new birth ; 
When a Gentile became a Jew, he was regarded as 
new-born, a child, a new man, just beginning to live. 
This might be called external regeneration. The term 
was afterwards used by the Rabbins in a moral sense ; 
since it became the duty of one who had been admitted 
into the Jewish Church, to live according to Jewish 
laws, and to have a better moral disposition. This is 
internal, moral regeneration. The term was used in 
both these senses in the time of Christ and his apostles. 

Now it was not the manner of Christ and his apostles 
to invent new terms, but to borrow terms from the 
ancient Jewish phraseology, and transfer them to 
Christianity. Hence we find the terms regeneration, 
begotten again, born again, born of God, used in the 
New Testament in the two following senses : — 



268 



LECTURE VII. 



(1.) To denote a passing over, externally, from 
Judaism or Heathenism to the Christian society, and 
making . an external profession of the Christian name. 
Thus, the apostle Paul, in the epistle to the Ephesians, 
speaking of the union of Jews and Gentiles into one 
church, says " that Christ has made in himself of twain 
one new man," which cannot here denote internal re- 
formation, because it could not be predicated of all 
Gentiles who adopted the Christian profession. 

(2.) But the term regeneration and its cognates is 
more frequently employed in scripture to denote an 
internal change, a moral renewal of the heart and dis- 
positions of man, which empowers the subject of it to 
renounce the love of sin, to follow after holiness, to do 
the will of God, from the higher motives of love to the 
Father and to Christ. In this sense the creation of a 
new heart is spoken of even in the Old Testament; 
circumcision of heart is an expression which is also 
used. Again ; a " new heart," a " new mind," a " new 
spirit," which has God for its author: expressions 
which are transferred by the apostles to the New 
Testament. Paul speaks of " putting on the new man ;" 
he speaks also of the Christian being made " a new 
creature in Christ Jesus;" St. John also designates 
Christians " sons of God," because they are " born of 
God." 

There are two passages of scripture, in which these 
two meanings of regeneration are, as we suppose, 
combined ; one is our text, the other is its par- 
allel in Titus iii, 5 : — " According to his mercy he 
saved us, by the laver of regeneration and renovation 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 



269 



of the Holy Ghost ;" — language very similar to that 
which the Great Teacher addressed to Mcodemus :■ 
" Unless a man be born again of water and of the 
Holy Ghost," i. e. unless a man consecrate himself by 
baptism to the profession of my religion, and become, 
by the renewing of the Holy Spirit, a reformed man, a 
child of God, a friend of God, like him in moral cha- 
racter, bearing his image, he cannot be considered, a 
member of the Messiah's spiritual kingdom either on 
earth or in heaven. A great deal of the confusion 
which has arisen respecting baptism and regeneration, 
has been caused by not considering the first or pro- 
fessional sense in which some of the early fathers, 
(Ignatius and Justin, for example,) and probably the 
apostle in the verse in Titus just quoted, used the word 
regeneration, as altogether different from and by no 
means necessarily connected with that positive change 
which is inwrought in the heart of every true Christian 
by the power of the Holy Ghost. 

It is to this latter, more general and .more moment- 
ous sense of regeneration that we now invite your 
attention, in a series of prepositional truths : and surely 
it will accord both with the sanctity of this place, and 
the supreme importance of the subject under considera- 
tion, for me to invite my every hearer to offer present 
prayer to the Father, through the Son, for the enlighten- 
ing grace of the Holy Spirit. 

First, — The natural depravity of the human heart 
is the doctrinal fact upon which rests the 
necessity of that spiritual change which is 
designated in the text, being born again, 



270 



LECTURE VII. 



The truth of this proposition none of us will be dis- 
posed to question. The depravity of man is acknow- 
ledged, with but little variation, by both Protestant and 
Roman Catholic authorities. The first and second 
Canons passed in the fifth Session of the Council of 
Trent read thus : — •" Whoever shall not confess 
that when Adam, the first man, transgressed the 
commandment of God given him in paradise, he 
lost immediately the purity and righteousness in which 
he was created ; and by the sin of his prevarication 
incurred the wrath and indignation of God, and 
consequently death, with which God had before 
threatened him ; and with death, captivity to him who 
thence hath the power of death, that is the devil ; so 
that by this offence of prevarication the whole man was 
changed for the worse, both in body and soul : let him 
be accursed. Whoever shall affirm, that Adam's pre- 
varication injured himself only, and not his posterity, 
and that he lost the purity and righteousness which he 
had received from God, for himself only, and not also 
for us ; or that when he became polluted by disobedience 
he transmitted to all mankind corporal death and 
punishment only, but not sin also, which is the death of 
the soul : let him be accursed." 

The ninth article of the Church of England is very 
clear and expressive on the subject : — " Original Sin 
standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pela- 
gians do vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption 
of the nature of every man, that naturally is ingendered 
of the offspring of Adam ; whereby man is very far 
gone from original righteousness, and is of his own 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 2ll 

nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always 
contrary to the spirit ; and therefore in every person 
born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and dam- 
nation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea 
in them that are regenerated ; whereby the lust of the 
flesh, called in the Greek, phronema sarkos, which some 
do expound the wisdom ; some, sensuality ; some, the 
affection ; some, the desire of the flesh ; is not subject to 
the Law of God. And although there is no condem- 
nation for them that believe and are baptized, yet the 
Apostle doth confess, that concupiscence and lust hath 
of itself the nature of sin." 

Here then we agree : we are not only guilty, we are 
depraved also ; we are not only under the condemna- 
tion of the law, our hearts also are deceitful above all 
things, and desperately wicked ; we not only need 
pardon and justification, we need also spiritual renewal 
or the new birth. This is clearly set forth by our Lord 
in his discourse with Nicodemus. The import of his 
language is : ye are already born, but " ye must be 
born again ;" ye are already born, but it is " of the 
flesh," of human nature, of corruption, of sin ; " That 
which is born of the flesh is flesh," that which is born 
of sin is sinful. Ye are all the children of wrath, for 
behold ye were bom in sin and shapen in iniquity. 
Oh that the solemnity of this truth were now impressed 
by the Holy Spirit upon our every mind ! I am far 
from God ; I am ignorant of God ; my heart is at 
enmity against him ; I see him not ; I hear him not ; I 
feel him not ; He is not in my thoughts ; I am a sinner, 
depraved, corrupt, loathsome, vile ; I am lifeless — 



272 



LECTURE VII. 



dead ; I am ready to perish ; to sink into perdition ! 
This is my state by nature ; this is my present state, 
unless I am converted and regenerate. My dear hearers, 
endeavour, to realize this your fearful, wretched, deplor- 
able, and dangerous condition, while I press upon your 
attention the words of the Saviour, " Ye must be born 

AG-AIN." 

The Council of Trent, in her third and fifth Canons 
on Original Sin, has, in effect, taken away this ground 
of the necessity of regeneration. These canons express- 
ly state, that the guilt, the pollution, the very in-being 
of sin are washed away in baptism ; washed away not 
only in the case of infants, but even in that of adults. 
There is not the least ambiguity in the language em- 
ployed, as you will immediately see : — " Whoever shall 
affirm, that this sin of Adam, which originally was one 
offence only, but being transmitted to all by propagation, 
not by imitation, becomes the sin of all, can be taken 
away by the strength of human nature, or by any other 
remedy than the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 
one Mediator, who hath reconciled us to God by his 
blood, and ' is made to us justice, santification, and 
redemption.' (1 Cor. i. 30;) or shall deny that the 
merit of Christ Jesus is applied, both to adults and 
infants, by the sacrament of baptism, rightly administer- 
ed according to the form of the church : let him be 
accursed. Whoever shall deny that the guilt of original 
sin is remitted by the grace of our Lord Jesus' Christ, 
bestowed, in baptism ; or shall affirm, that that wherein 
sin truly and properly consists is not wholly rooted up, 
but is only cut down, or not imputed : let him be 
accursed." 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 2*73 

The following sentiments also occur in the Catechism 
of the Council : " Baptism washes away the stains of 
sin." " The law of Baptism extends to all, insomuch 
that, unless they are regenerated by the grace of bap- 
tism, be their parents Christians or infidels, they are 
born to eternal misery and everlasting destruction." 
Again : " If then through the transgression of Adam, 
children inherit the stain of primeval guilt, is there not 
still stronger reason to conclude that the efhcacious 
merits of Christ the Lord, must impart to them that 
justice and those graces which will give them a title to 
reign in eternal life ? This happy consummation 
baptism alone can accomplish." " Infants unless 
baptized cannot enter heaven." Once more : " The 
salutary waters of baptism, not only wash away all the 
stains of past sins, but also enrich the soul with divine 
grace, which enables the Christian to avoid sin for the 
future, and to preserve the invaluable treasures of 
righteousness and innocence." 

These doctrines being so prominently inculcated in 
the standards of the church, it need not surprise us that 
there is so utter an absence in Roman Catholic teaching, 
both public and private, of all reference to the necessity 
of the New Birth. Baptism, indeed, takes its place ; 
the members of the church are taught, that if they are 
baptized, (whether as infants or as adults it matters 
not,) the guilt and the pollution of sin are of necessity 
entirely washed away. They may contract new guilt, 
their souls may become again spotted by sin, but there 
are close at hand confession, and absolution, and pen- 
nance ; these will remove the newly contracted guilt 



274 



LECTURE VII. 



and pollution ; and so the whole system of salvation, 
essentially spiritual in its nature, is ritualized by that 
church which assumes to itself the sole distinction of 
apostolical. 

Secondly, — Regeneration is an Inward, Spiritual 
change. 

Nicodemus, yon observe, was giving a natural inter- 
pretation to the Saviour's words ; but our divine teacher 
immediately corrected his misapprehension, and showed 
him that, by the language which he employed, he 
meant to enforce the necessity of a spiritual change. 
Except a man be born " from above " (avwdev) ; " ex- 
cept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God." " Ye must be born 
from above." There is nothing natural or physical in 
the whole thing ; it is supernatural, it is spiritual, it is 
heavenly. And because it is a spiritual change, it is 
holy ; purity is its leading characteristic, for it is from 
heaven, and heaven is holy ; it is from God, and God 
is pure. It is a change from sin to holiness ; from 
sinful motives, to pure motives ; from sinful desires, to 
holy desires ; from sinful propensities, to holy propen- 
sities : It is a change from death to life,— from the 
death of sin to the life of righteousness : It is a change 
from spiritual torpor to spiritual action, from spiritual 
blindness to spiritual eyesight : It is a translation from 
the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God's dear 
Son ; a transforation from the image of sin and the 
world, to the image of God's righteousness and true 
holiness. The change is so great, so real, so marked, 
so decided, so conspicuous, that it can be neither mis- 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 



275 



taken nor misunderstood. It is real and not relative, 
it is radical and not superficial; it reaches down to the 
very depths of the inner man. Listen to two or three 
passages of the New Testament, which speak of this 
change : " God," says St. Paul, in his Epistle to 
Ephesus, " who is rich in mercy, even when we were 
dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ." 
Here this divine change is spoken of as a resurrection 
from the dead. In his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 
the same apostle compares it with a new creation ; for 
he speaks of the regenerate man as a new creature, old 
things having passed away, and all things being made 
new. In another place it is spoken of as an introduc- 
tion from darkness into light : passages which all show 
that regeneration is not only a spiritual change, but that 
it is a change of so positive and decided a character as 
to be immediately recognized both by the subject and 
the observer. 

For the same reason which we just now advanced, 
viz. : — that our Eoman Catholic friends regard Baptism 
by the very act itself {ex opere operato) as producing 
regeneration, and as capable of doing this without 
respect to the quality of the subject, — the spiritual 
character of the change is completely lost sight of. I 
know that the Catechism of the Council of Trent 
declares that free-ivill, faith, and penitence, are disposi- 
tions necessary for baptism ; that the rite is to be forced 
upon no one ; and that it has been the invariable prac- 
tice of the Church, to administer baptism to no 
individual without previously asking him if he were 
willing to receive it. But the practice of the Church 



276 



LECTURE VII. 



is not invariable. In the Bibliotheca Ferraris, I read, 
that any voluntary consent is sufficient, although it is 
mixed with an involuntary one, extorted by force or 
fear in any manner. Pope Innocent III. quoted by this 
author, says : " He who is violently attracted by terrors 
or punishment, and, lest he should receive detriment, 
receives the sacrament of baptism, such a one receives 
the character, the impress of Christianity." But then 
it is not to be concealed that Roman Catholic divines 
distinguish between a valid and a fruitful reception of 
baptism. 

The doctrine of the Council of Trent, as expressed in 
the Catechism is as follows : " Another necessary con- 
dition is compunction for past sins, and 'a fixed deter- 
mination to refrain from their future commission ; 
should any one dare to approach the baptismal font, a 
slave to vicious habits, he should be instantly repelled ; 
for what so obstructive to the grace and virtue of bap- 
tism as the obdurate impenitence of those, who are 
resolved to persevere in the indulgence of their unhal- 
lowed passions." It would have been well for the 
Church of Rome, and for Christianity in general, if 
this excellent and scriptural requirement had been uni- 
versally attended to ; but alas, it has been almost en- 
tirely disregarded. Cardinal "Wiseman himself, and his 
authority as an expounder of Roman Catholic doctrine, 
few will be disposed to question, in his lectures on the 
doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church, vol. i, 
p. 131, teaches that strict examination of baptismal 
candidates is unnecessary. This is his language: 
" Apply this to the two rules of faith : and suppose a 



THE ONE AGENT OE REGENERATION. 27*7 

Missionary arriving in a foreign country, where the 
name of Christ was not known, and advancing as his 
fundamental rule, that it was necessary for all men to 
read the Bible, and for each one to satisfy his own mind 
on all that he should believe. I ask you, not if you 
think it possible that thousands could be said to be 
properly converted by one discourse, under such a prin- 
ciple, but whether, if the Missionary conscientiously 
believed and taught this principle, he could, in one day, 
admit those thousands, by the baptismal rite, into the 
religion of Christ ? Would he be satisfied that he had 
made true converts, who would not go back from the 
faith once received % I am sure any one conversant 
with the practice of modern Missions, will be satisfied 
that no Missionary, except one from the (Roman) 
Catholic Church, would receive persons so slightly in- 
structed into its bosom, or be satisfied that they would 
persevere in the religion they had adopted. But they 
can do it at this day, and they have done it in every 
age ; for St. Francis Xavier, like the Apostles, converted 
and baptized his thousands in one day, who remained 
steadfast in the faith and law of Christ. And all may 
be so admitted at once into the (Roman) Catholic reli- 
gion, who give up their belief in their own individual 
judgment, and adopt the principle, that whatever the 
(Roman) Catholic Church shall teach them, must be 
true." 

That the Cardinal speaks here of baptism adminis- 
tered not validly merely, but fruitfully, is clear from his 
comparing the converts of Xavier, with the converts of 
the apostles ; forgetful that they worked miracles, and 

N 



278 LECTURE VII. 

were empowered to read the hearts of men, and are 
therefore no rule in this respect for ordinary ministers. 
Besides, the Cardinal's theory is wholly opposed to the 
teaching of the Fathers, for St. Augustine, Cyril, and 
Jerome, as it is known to any one acquainted with their 
writings, insisted upon the minute instruction of candi- 
dates for baptism. Now it cannot but be, that a theory 
which is so contrary to experience will be practically 
disregarded. True, Roman Catholic divines speak of a 
spiritual change, so spiritual and so extensive as that 
the very roots of sin are plucked up and destroyed from 
the soul, but then, they ascribe this work to baptism ; 
and when the people see that even in baptized adults 
the same old habits, dispositions, tempers, propensities 
remain, when they see that in most instances the water 
of baptism touches only the head, and that there is no 
special washing of the inner man, they soon begin to 
suspect that the doctrine is one grand Christian hoax. 
Granted that baptism is a Christian sacrament, that as 
a sacrament, when received in faith it is a sign and a 
seal of inward renewal ; granted further, that when the 
adult penitent receives the sacrament in the faith of 
Christ, it becomes the instrument of regeneration ; but 
then this is a very different theory from that of the 
Cardinal, who contends that a Christian missionary, 
upon the consent of five hundred or one thousand 
idolaters, or cannibals, or devil worshippers, and a sum- 
mary and very general profession on their part of faith 
in Christ, is authorized to baptize them en masse. And 
I confess that for me to believe that the sacramental 
water thus applied in the name of the blessed Trinity 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 



279 



would, ex opere operato, regenerate every one of these 
idolaters, these devil worshippers, these cannibals, would 
make them new creatures, would remove the guilt of 
sin, would uproot the seeds of sin, would secure to them, 
were they immediately to die, an entrance into the 
kingdom of heaven, requires a stretch of credulity equal 
to that which a man evinces when he adopts the pro- 
fession of atheism. Is it any marvel that in the midst 
of such views and practices the spiritual character of 
regeneration should disappear ? 

Thirdly, The Agent of our Regeneration is the 
Holy Spirit of God and He alone. 

From first to last the work is His. From the first 
ray of convincing light which pierces the dark mind of 
the sinner, to that regenerating change which introduces 
him into the light of spiritual day — the day of holiness, 
the work is wholly His. The sense in which we are 
said to be born of water has been already intimated : 
The sense in which we are represented as being born of 
the incorruptible seed of the word, so far from disallow- 
ing the sole agency of the Holy Ghost, rather confirms 
it ; for that word is nothing, imparts no life, without 
his quickening power. Roman Catholics will say, 
" this is our doctrine ;" we grant that several instances 
may be pointed out in which the theory of regeneration 
by the Spirit is defined, (not perhaps very clearly,) but, 
methinks, to give to an external rite that prominence 
which the Council of Trent imparts to it, and that 
greater prominence with which the practice of the 
Catholic Church invests it; to make the new birth so 



280 



LECTTJftE VII. 



intimately and invariably dependent on its administra- 
tion ; to say that no man Can be regenerated without 
baptism, and that baptism intentionally ministered, and 
willingly received, always produces regeneration ; to 
declare, so solemnly as that all who deny it are anathem- 
atized, that the absence of the rite, whatever other 
qualities or graces may exist, leads infallibly to everlast- 
ing damnation, and this in the case of helpless infants, 
is, as I think, to limit the power and the benignity of 
the Holy Spirit, and to stigmatize with injustice the 
gracious scheme of redemption ; it is to rob the Holy 
Spirit of his prerogative, and to place that prerogative, 
virtually at least, in mortal hands. Now I will ask 
you, whether Paul could have entertained the modern 
Roman Catholic view of baptism, the Trentine view I 
mean, and yet have consistently written, as he did, to 
the Corinthian Church : " I give God thanks, that I 
baptized none of you, but Crispus. and Gaius. Lest 
any should say that you were baptized in my name. 
And I baptized also the household of Stephanas : besides, 
I know not whether I baptized any other." Could any 
Roman Catholic Bishop, with his views of Baptism, 
insert in a pastoral letter, I give God thanks that I 
baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius ? I trow 
not. Paul knew how to distinguish between the work 
of the spirit, and the signification of a sacrament. Now 
the Roman Catholic theory would require us to believe 
that Crispus, Gaius, and the house of Stephanas were 
all in the Corinthian Church, whom Paul had instru- 
mentally introduced into the regenerate state ; but his 
own language in the fourth chapter of this same epistle, 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 281 



completely sets aside this view : " For if you have 
ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many 
fathers. For in Christ Jesus by the gospel I have 
begotten you." Again ; If no one can be rege- 
nerated, can receive the Spirit of God, but by 
baptism, as the whole Roman Catholic Church declares, 
how came it to pass that when Peter preached 
to Cornelius and his company, the Holy Ghost descended 
upon them before baptism, and that Peter viewed this 
descent as qualifying them to receive the rite or 
sacrament : " While Peter was yet speaking these 
words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the 
word. And he commanded them to be baptized in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they desired 
him to tarry with them some days." Oh ! my brethren, 
regeneration is the Spirit's work, for the birth is Divine, 
It is as true now as it was in the days of the apostles, 
that to as many as receive Christ by faith, the power 
is given to become the sons of God ; " who are born not 
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of 
man, but of God." 

Fourthly. The fruit of Regeneration is Sanctifi- 
cation. 

This is a truth which Catholics in general, might 
probably be disposed to concede. But what is sanctifi- 
cation ? It is living holiness. Regeneration is the 
birth, sanctification is the life. Regeneration is a 
change from nature to grace, sanctification is not a 
change, but a state ; a state of holiness. It is holiness 
of heart and life. It comprises therefore two branches, 



282 



LECTUKE VII. 



though the stock is one ; the one inward, the other 
outward. Inward holiness, to adopt the language of 
the Westminster Confession, is " the destruction of the 
whole body of sin, it is the mortification of the lusts of 
the soul, it is the existence of the Spirit's grace and 
strength in the inner man, it is the principle of pure 
love to God and to all mankind." Outward holiness is 
obedience to the law and will of God ; it comprehends 
holiness of dispositions, holiness of temper, holiness of 
word, holiness of action, it comprehends self-denial, 
daily cross-bearing, love of prayer, charity to the poor, 
benevolence and even beneficence to our enemies ; it 
embraces temperance of living, honesty of purpose and 
action, humility of deportment, obedience and deference 
to superiors, chastity of life. Let me read to you from 
the Douay Bible a few passages illustrative of these 
views : — " And what concord hath Christ with Belial ? 
Or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever ? 
And what agreement hath the temple of God with 
idols ? For ye are the temple of the living God : as 
God saith : / will dwell in them, and walk among them, 
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
Wherefore, Go out from among them, and be ye separate, 
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing. And 
I will receive you ; and I will be a Father to you : and 
you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Al- 
mighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly 
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of 
the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in 
the fear of God." The same apostle in his epistle to 
the Romans, chapter vi., 6, says : " Knowing this that 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 



283 



our old man is crucified with hirn, that the body of sin 
may be destroyed, to the end we may serve sin no 
longer." In the fifth chapter of his epistle to Galatians 
we have the following impressive view of Christian 
sanctification : — " But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, 
joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, 
mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity. Against 
such there is no law. And they that are Christ's, have 
crucified their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences. 
If we live in the. Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 
Let us not be made desirous of vain glory, provoking 
one another, envying one another." Saint Peter also, 
in the second chapter of his first epistle says, " You are 
a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, 
a purchased people, that you may declare his virtues 
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous 
light." These are apostolic views of the effects of regene- 
ration, and where these fruits, in more or less maturity, 
do not appear, there exists not true holiness, there is the 
absence of regenerating grace. Christianity is a holy 
thing. True Christianity sanctifies every thing 
that it touches, and purifies every man whom it rightly 
influences. That holiness is the prevailing characteristic 
of all true Christians, may appear from the very term 
by which the apostles designate them. They call 
believers " saints." This is their usual form of address 
in their epistles to the Churches ; the Romans were " call- 
ed to be saints," and the Corinthians also. " Paul to all 
the saints who are at Ephesus, Paul to the saints and 
faithful brethren in Christ Jesus who are at Colossa," 
are the superscriptions of two of his epistles. 



284 



iectwre yn„ 



Our Roman Catholic friends nave limited the meaning" 
of the term " saints ;" and, without any authority from 
the word of God, they apply it only to those who have 
been canonized by the Pope, and placed upon the Holy 
Calendar. And here, perhaps, it may be well to refer 
to those characteristics by which the Church of Rome 
judges of the holiness of her members, and of their 
worthiness for canonization. Every Roman Catholie 
knows that his Church grounds the sanctity of indivi- 
duals on the amount and severity of their austerities, 
.and on the number and magnitude ©f the supposed 
miracles which they have wrought. Take up the lives 
of your saints, and you will find that their holiness was 
chiefly a ritual holiness : Prayers,, fasts, pennances^, 
lacerations, exposures to cold, bodily fatigues, fightings 
for the Church, destroying heretics ; these things^ 
together with the working of some few miracles, are 
quite sufficient, in the Church of Rome, to establish the 
holiness of an individual, and to give him the distinc- 
tion of a saint. 

The saints of the Church of Rome may be divided 
into several classes. There are some who, by means of 
immense wealth have been great benefactors to the 
Church ; others who from the high authority which they 
possessed became the patrons and defenders of the 
Church. Many have been canonized because of a life 
of long and affected retirement ; and others again 
because they have returned from a dissolute life to the 
service of God and of the Church. 

I shall now adduce some of the grounds upon which 
several of the canonized saints of the Church of Rome 
have been raised to so elevated a distinction : — 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 



28& 



Of St. Patrick it is said (Roman Breviary) that he -was 
wont to repeat daily the whole psalter, together with 
the canticles and two hundred hymns and prayers ; 
three hundred times on each day to worship God upon 
his knees, and in each canonical hour of the day to 
sign himself one hundred times with the sign of the 
cross. Dividing the night into three portions, he spent 
the first in running through one hundred psalms, and 
in two genuflexions ; the second in running through the 
other fifty psalms in cold water, with his heart, eyes, 
and hands raised to heaven ; he yielded the third part 
to a short sleep upon a hard stone. To these devotions, 
miracles without end may of course be added ; such as 
restoring sight to the blind, and health to the sick, 
and raising nine dead persons to life. I ask my 
Roman Catholic hearers if these characteristics of 
sanctity are apostolic. Did Paul thus ? Did. he exhort 
Timothy or Titus to such practices ? Are these the 
methods for obtaining holiness which John prescribed ? 
No ! " If we walk in the light, as he also is in the 
light : we have fellowship one with another, and 
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all 
sin." 

From the Golden Legend, and Grey's Lives of the 
Saints, we have the following instances of the sanctity 
and power of the saints : — 

" St. Clare was in such esteem with God, that with- 
out the least difficulty she obtained whatever she asked. 
From her very infancy there appeared surprising signs 
of her future sanctity. Even from that early period she 
prayed, fasted, gave alms, and wore a hair cloth to 
n2 



•286 LECTURE VIL 

moltify the flesh. She was seldom alone 111 her piotis 
exercises. On one occasion, a very beautiful child, with 
two radiant wings flew into her lap — at another time 
she ^;aw the young child Jesus lying in his manger, 
In her dying moments, Jesus was seen near her acorn- 
panied by several virgins crowned with flowers. One 
of them in particular, who wore a close crown more 
radiant than the sun, embraced her ; the rest spread a 
carpet of inestimable value over her body." The nuns 
of the 1 Convent to which this saint belonged, made a 
2>ost niortem examination of her body, and found 
engraved upon her heart, as she had often previously 
affirme^, a figure of Christ upon the cross and all 
the instruments of his passion. Is there, I ask, 
anything like this in the Christianity of the New 
Testament ? 

St. Theresa had many extraordinary visions ; during 
one of which, it is mentioned that a divine love-wound 
was made in her heart, by a seraph with a golden 
arrow, pointed with red-hot steel. 

St. Bonaventure not being able to take the Holy 
Eucharist^ in the usual way, through violent indisposition 
in the stomach, had the holy pyx placed upon his 
breast, and the sacred wafer instantly penetrated that 
way into his very bowels, in order to become the life of 
his soul. 1 

St. Francis Xavier, so noted a saint in the Roman 
Catholic Church, demands some mention. That he was 
a hero, no one will doubt, who has read his life ; that he 
was diligent, in the discharge of his ecclesiastical func- 
tions, is no less unquestionable — that he was bent upon 



THS ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION, 



287 



• M success of the order to which lie belonged and of 
which, he was one of the earliest members, is evidenced 
by every page of his remarkable history : but, that he 
was possessed of supernatural sanctity, who will believe, 
when it -is known, that he praised the inquisition after 
visiting its cruel dungeons \ Yet, there were some noble 
traits of character in St. Francis. There was e. g, an 
utter disregard of difficulties in the prosecution of his 
labours. On one occasion his friends attempted to 
dissuade him from undertaking a mission on account of 
its extraordinary dangers. " Ah," said he " who are 
they that set bounds to the power of God, and have 
such mean ideas of the grace of our Saviour ? And 
are there any hearts hard enough to resist the power of 
the Most High when it pleases Him to soften and to 
-•change them ? Can they resist this power, at the same 
time so gentle and so strong, that makes the -dry branch 
flourish, and raises tip children unto Abraham from the 
stones ? What ! cannot he that subdued the whole 
world to the empire of the Cross by the ministry of the 
Apostles bring into subjection that little corner of the 
earth ? Are the islands of the Moor, alone, to be ex- 
cluded from the benefits of redemption ? And when 
Jesus offered all the nations to His Eternal Father as a 
heritage, were those people to be excepted \ They are 
very barbarous and veTy brutal, I know ; but they were 
once more so \ neither can I do anything of myself, 
and therefore I have the more hope of them. I can do 
all things in Him that strengtheneth me, and from Him 
alone Gospel-workmen gather all their power." The 
miracles which Xavier is said to have wrought might 



288 



LECTURE VII. 



fill a volume. Here is one : " When sailing, one day, 
among some islands, a tempest arose, and, in order to 
quell it, as they say, he touched the waves with his 
crucifix. The virtue of his crucifix stilled the raging of 
the wind and sea ; but, to his great grief, he let the 
image fall into the water. Some time afterwards, walk- 
ing with a Portuguese on the beach, he saw the sacred 
object appear above the crest of a wave. The wave 
broke on the sand, and threw up a crab holding the 
crucifix in one of its claws. Xavier stood still. The 
crab crawled towards him, carrying the cross erect, laid 
it at his feet, and returned to its native element." At 
his death his body saw no corruption ; by touching it 
a sick man was instantly healed, and from it the richest 
odours were exhaled. 

But why should I occupy your time with such 
strange and wonderful details ? If these are qualifica- 
tions for saintship, then have I read my Bible to no 
purpose. No such prescriptions for securing holiness 
do I discover here — no such evidences of sanctity are 
demanded here. "What are gifts to Christian love? 
Hear the apostle: "If I speak with the tongues 
of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am be- 
come as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And if 
I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and 
if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not 
charity, it profiteth me nothing." This is the true 
principle of spiritual Christianity, as Paul understood it, 
and enforced it ; and this is the Protestant principle- 
would God it were more the Protestant practice ! 

T)r. Milner finds no saintship amongst the most re- 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 289 

nowned Protestants. They come far short, in his esti- 
mation at least, of the holiness of the worthies of his 
own church. He professes to be conversant with the 
works of Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley. Had he read his 
life with candour, shame would have compelled him to 
expunge from his book, this self-sufficient, this unchari- 
table, this derogatory sentiment. I wish every intelli- 
gent Catholic would read and compare the life of 
Xavier, by Bonhours, or even by Alban Butler, and 
that of Fletcher, by Benson ; let him then tell me 
whether Dr. Milner was just when he charged upon 
Protestantism an incapability to make its followers 
holy. Were not the life and labours of the Swiss 
Pastor, Felix Neff, both saintly and apostolic ? Who 
that has been in the habit of witnessing the dying 
hours of faithful Protestant Christians, has not often 
discovered a courage and a victory over death scarcely 
less remarkable than that which, distinguished Paul, 
when he said, "I am now ready to be offered." 
" Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. I will read to 
you the closing scene of one of the most celebrated 
modern saints in the Roman Calendar — distin- 
guished for his devotion to the church, and to 
piety, I mean Alphonso Liguori ; and then I will read 
an account of the closing hours of a good Protestant, 
which I this morniug, almost at random, took down 
from my library shelves ; The Rev. Peard Dickinson. 

S. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI. 

"On the 8th of July, 1787, in addition to his old 
complaints, he was attacked by a sharp fever, together 



2§0 



LECTURE Vtt. 



with a terrible dysentery. These were symptoms so 
little to be mistaken, that, although he had been 
absolved three days before by Father Vincenzo Magaldi 
of the congregation, he confessed again to Father 
Lorenzo Negri of the congregation also, and after having 
received absolution, was released from all his usual 
anxiety, and broke forth into expressions of -the liveliest 
joy and hope, the Lord being doubtless willing to 
console his servant by a foretaste of Paradise, for all 
that he had made him suffer during this life, and 
especially for the grievous temptations against faith, by 
which he had been assailed some time after his retire- 
ment from his diocese. His sufferings lasted for fourteen 
days, during which he was constantly engaged in acts 
of piety, keeping his eyes lovingly fixed upon the 
crucifix and image of the blessed Mother ; confessing 
frequently, and communicating every day. 

" The news of his mortal illness having been spread 
abroad, priests, secular as well as regular, and persons 
of the highest distinction, came from all parts to kiss 
his hand, bringing kerchiefs, and other things, to 
sanctify by contact with him, and preserve as relics. 
At length it became necessary for him to receive the 
sacrament of Extreme Unction, which he did with the 
most fervent acts of faith, hope, charity, resignation, 
and joy. On the 25th of the same month, he received 
the Blessed Sacrament as a viaticum ; and when the 
time for communicating approached, every moment 
appeared intolerably long, and unable to contain him- 
self, he incessantly exclaimed, give me the body of my 
J esus — when will Jesus come to me ? — when shall I 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 291 



possess hini ? His longings having been at length 
satisfied, he sunk into a long and deep meditation upon 
the love of Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament. 

" Four days before his death he was seized with 
convulsions so violent as to deprive him of the use of 
speech. On the thirtieth day of the month, Father 
Villani not thinking it safe to give him the Viaticum, 
as he was afraid he should not be able to swallow, one 
of the fathers desired him to make a spiritual commun- 
ion, which he did, showing by his eyes and various 
signs, that he joined in the devout sentiments suggested 
by that father. On the day before his death Monsignor 
Tafuri came to visit him, and seeing him so near his 
dissolution, reverently kissed his hand, and placed it on 
his head. On the day of his death, just before the 
commencement of his agony, upon hearing the names 
of Jesus and Mary, he opened his eyes and appeared 
somewhat to revive. What is even more surprising, on 
the night before his death the image of the blessed 
Mother having been brought near his bed, he not only 
opened his eyes, but fixing them upon it, smiled sweetly, 
his countenance all radiant with delight. "Whence we 
may all conclude, that the divine Mother blessed her 
holy client with one of those visits which it was his 
daily prayer to have at the hour of death, and which 
he so often held out to all who should be devout to Mary. 
Alphonsus straining the crucifix and image of most 
holy Mary to his breast, the brethren in tears and 
prayer around him, calmly and without struggle or con- 
tortion, breathed forth his blessed soul, on Tuesday, the 
. 1st August, 1181." 



292 



LECTURE VII. 



REV. PEARD DICKINSON. 

* On Tuesday, May 11th, in the midst of a violent 
fit, I heard him whisper, ' We have erred and strayed 
from thy ways like lost sheep.' I said, ' But are now 
returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls ;' he 
immediately , replied, in broken words, with great 
energy, ' It was all of grace, free mercy in Christ 
Jesus.' After the fever abated that evening, and he 
began a little to revive, his soul was abundantly tilled 
with divine consolation ; he seemed at a loss to express 
the joy he felt, his love to Christ, or his view of God's 
boundless mercy and infinite compassion. He said, ' I 
seem all happiness.' 

" During one of the following nights, he cried out, 
' O happy, happy spirits, I see you, I see you all, and I 
am coming to you. They are waiting for me, and I 
must go ;' and clapping his hands, he shouted, 
' Victory, victory, my Jesus, and my All !' To one of 
his nurses he said, 1 For Christ's sake, make sure of an 
interest in him ; it is neither Paul, nor Apollos, nor 
Cephas, nor any other creature, but Jesus Christ the 
corner-stone : build upon him, as the sure foundation.' 
While taking a little refreshment, I perceived him 
deeply engaged in prayer, and distinctly heard the fol- 
lowing words : ' That an abundant entrance may be 
administered unto us into the eternal kingdom.' Soon 
after he said to me, ' The Lord give you the bread of 
life.' I answered, 4 I am sure he will give it you, and 
I trust I shall partake of it :' he replied, ' I doubt not 
but you will,' and spoke with sweet confidence of our 
being mutual partakers of the blessings of the kingdom. 



THE OKE AGEISTT OF EEGEIs T EEATI02s T . 293 

" To one of the nurses that attended him he said, 4 1 
have not a shadow of doubt ; my evidence is as clear as 
the noon-day sun !' At another time, ' I have nothing 
but glory and heaven in my view ; my heart is full of 
God, my cup runneth over !' He told her he should 
4 be glad to leave some further dying testimony, that 
his friends might be satisfied, but that he was so low he 
could not converse with them.' She replied, ' You 
have given us proof enough.' ' Then,' said he, 4 tell 
them God is love ; I know and feel him so !' Having 
had a very severe fit, and being extremely weak after 
it, he said, 4 What a mercy it is that the Lord careth 
for the righteous !' A person present replied, ' He 
does, ahd it shall be well with them.' ' Yes,' said he ? 
1 well for ever and ever, glory be to God !' The nurse 
giving him a little drink, with his hands clasped, and 
his eyes lifted up to heaven, he entreated her to love 
the Lord Jesus with her whole heart : ' O,' said he. 
4 the sinner's friend ! Never forget the sinners 
friend I' 

"May 14th, in the evening, he appeared very 
earnestly engaged in prayer; but I could only hear 
these words, ' Lord, make us wise unto salvation !' On 
my going to him, he said, (with peculiar tenderness^ 
taking my hand.) ' My dear love, sweet is thy voice to 
me : God bless you.' These are the last words he 
spoke to me ; for a fit presently came on, which was 
followed by a very painful and restless night* On May 
15th, after being in extreme pain, when we thought 
him past speaking, about two o'clock in the afternoon, 
he opened his eyes, and, as the nurse was giving him a 



294 



LECTURE VII. 



little wine with a teaspoon, he suddenly stopped her 
and pointing* with his finger upward, he said, ' Hark ! 
do you not hear \ they are come for me. I am ready, 
quite ready.' A few minutes after, she spoke to him 
again, he said, ' Stop, say nothing but — Glory, glory !' 
These were the last words he ever spoke. After a very 
painful struggle, which lasted more than four hours, his 
happy spirit took its flight, about twenty-five minutes 
past seven o'clock in the evening." 

Is there then no power in Protestant Christianity, to 
make men holy, and to sustain the mind in death ? 

We lay no claim on behalf of Protestant Christians, 
to self-flagellations, to self-inflicted stripes and bruises 
and wounds, to daily Aves and Pater Nosters which 
may be reckoned by the hundred, to midnight vigils 
on cold altar steps ; no claim do we lay to miraculous 
gifts, to the gift of tongues, Gf healing, of raising the 
dead, of quelling the fury of the elements ; no claim 
lay we on behalf of the dead bodies of Protestants to 
sweet instead of corruptible odours, to incorruption, 
to the impartation, by mere contact, of health to the 
dying, and of life to the dead. No ! the bodies of the 
holiest Protestants see corruption. This we are obliged 
to confess. They crumble into dust. Like most other 
mortals, Protestants " come forth like a flower and are 
cut down, they flee also as a shadow and continue not." 
Protestant dust returns to the earth as it was: 
— but we do claim for Protestant Christians, not 
for all, alas ! who bear the Protestant name, but for all 
who worthily bear it, we do claim, I say, deep sorrow 
and contrition of heart on account of sin, severe con- 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 



295 



flicts with their wicked hearts, the mortification of un- 
holy desires, crucifixion to the world, self-denial, love to 
the Redeemer, zeal for his cause, devotion to his glory : 
We claim for them hours spent in communion with the 
ever blessed Trinity, a knowledge of God's Word, a 
love to their fellow men, liberality to the poor, integrity 
of purpose, honesty of life, benevolence and beneficence 
to their enemies : — We claim this for them, not for 
their own honor, God forbid ! but for Christ's glory, for 
it is He, and not themselves, who hath wrought in 
them this grace, who hath wrought in them to will 
and to do of God's good pleasure. They came to Him 
as guilty sinners, they mourned at his cross, they cried 
to him for mercy, they pleaded and believed his merits, 
they waited for the descent of the Holy Spirit, and 
the answer came : to use the words of Paul, as they 
are written in the Douay Bible, God sent forth the 
spirit of his Son into their hearts, crying : Abba, Father, 
and then they were strengthened with might in the 
inner man, then they were empowered to walk not after 
the flesh but after the spirit, then they brought forth 
those fruits of regeneration which are to the praise and 
glory of God. Glory be to God alo'ne for all that has 
been experienced, and all that has been achieved by 
true Protestant Christians. We pray that such may 
abound yet more and more in all our communities. 
We acknowledge the existence of much inconsistency, 
vices alas prevail, and sin abounds, but our confidence 
and our hope are this, that Protestant Christianity 
which has done by the grace of God so much for the 
world, especially within the last century, will accom- 



296 



LECTURE VII. 



plish the spiritual regeneration of entire nominal 
Christendom. 

There is, however, this difference between the Protestant 
and Roman Catholic Churches : The Protestant Church 
lays no claim to infallibility, but acknowledges herself 
to be erring, and to be afflicted with grievous inconsis- 
tencies over which her more spiritual and devoted 
members mourn and weep. We thank God that there 
is amongst us a little religion, but we acknowledge with 
shame that it is very little, and with unaffected sincerity 
that we lack more, much more. But the Roman 
Catholic Church lays claim to infallibility, to unity, to 
sanctity. She once had the true gospel, and because 
she is infallible she must have it now. This is the 
style of argument which is employed, and this the 
opinion that is entertained by many Catholics ; but are 
they fully acquainted with the history of their Church ? 
We Protestants say, and we do it with all kindness, 
that a Church assuming such attributes and powers as 
the Church of Rome assumes, ought to be a holy and 
regenerate Church ; but has she been, and is she now 
thus holy and regenerate ? Let our friends only read 
their own historians, and they, with us, will answer, 
"No." And why? because she has overlooked and 
thrown aside the doctrine of spiritual regeneration by 
the Holy Ghost as the one foundation of all holiness. 
If you would but read the history of your Church from the 
eighth to the sixteenth centuries, you would soon agree 
with us that whatever other attributes she possessed, she 
could lay no claim to those of sanctity and infallibility. 

I read to you in the course of the last lecture that 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION. 



297 



graphic description of the state of the Roman Church 
which was given to the Council of Trent by one of its 
Fathers, Antonius. 

Let us examine other Roman Catholic authors : 
Cardinal Baronius describes the Popes of these ages' to 
have been " monstrous and infamous in their lives, 
dissolute in their manners, and wicked and villainous in 
all things." Platina, the Roman historian, declares that 
Pope Boniface VII. obtained the popedom by wicked arts' 
{malis artibus) and lost it in a similar manner. The 
citizens conspired against him on account of his 
iniquities, so that he was glad to fly the city ; during 
his absence John XV. was elected in his room, . but 
Boniface returned and avenged himself upon his substi- 
tute by starving him to death. He lived but a short 
time, and after his death the citizens dragged his body 
tied by the feet through the streets, and left it a prey 
to dogs. And what shall we say of the boy Pope 
Benedict the Ninth ? of whom one of his successors says 
" So base, so foul, so execrable was his life that I 
shudder to relate it." 

Statements equally fearful respecting the clergy and 
Church generally might be readily produced, but I have 
only time to ask, are such things consistent with the 
infallibility and sanctity of the Church ? 

Regeneration is the want of the professing Church. 
I now address myself more especially to Protestants, 
and I feel sure that there is not in the congregation a 
spiritually minded Protestant who will not agree with me 
that we all need more of the regenerating grace of the 
Holy Spirit. Our principles are holy and glorious ; 



298 



LECTURE VII. 



but what are our practices ? Our Gospel is pure and un- 
adulterated ; but what are our lives ? Our knowledge of 
the Bible is extensive ; but are we following its precepts 1 
Our professions are great ; but are our principles of 
action evangelical ? Our privileges are abundant ; but 
is there a corresponding progress in Christian knowledge 
and love ? Why, I ask, is it, that the high and holy 
principles of Protestantism have not made more sure 
and rapid advancement ? Why, but because we our- 
selves have been unfaithful to those principles ? Why 
is it that Protestantism has, in many instances, been a 
by- word and a reproach amongst our Roman Catholic 
brethren ? Why ? Partly because Protestants have 
dishonoured that name for which our ancestors shed 
their blood. Our charity has failed us ; our meekness 
has failed us ; our devotion to the ordinances of religion 
has failed us ; our benevolence bas failed us ; our self- 
denial has failed us ; our integrity has failed us ; the 
fruits of Regeneration have failed in too many a Pro- 
testant vineyard. I am addressing Protestants of almost 
every name ; and I would say to myself and to you, let 
us but be faithful to our privileges, let us but live in 
purity, in benevolence, in charity, in peace, in devotion 
to Christ's cause, in zeal for his glory ; let us but live and 
labour for the instruction and salvation of those around 
us, both Protestant and Catholic, who are in spiritual 
darkness, and no weapon that is formed against us shall 
prosper ; opposition may come, but, come whence it will, 
it shall not hinder the word of the Lord from having 
free course and being glorified. Let us, then, go this 
evening to the fountain of grace, let us call upon the 



THE ONE AGENT OF REGENERATION, 299 

Divine Spirit, let us seek his regenerating, transforming, 
sanctifying power, and may a merciful God vouchsafe to 
answer ! 

— Shall we then for ever live 

At this poor dying rate ? 
Our love so faint, so cold to Thee, 

And Thine to us so great ! 

Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, 
With all thy quick'ning powers ; 

Come, shed abroad the Saviour's love, 
And that shall kindle ours.'' 

I believe I am addressing many hundreds, some of 
you Catholics, but most of you Protestants, who feel 
that you need that change of heart of which the blessed 
Saviour spoke to Nicodemus, and without which no man 
shall see the Lord. Oh, suffer me to plead with you this 
evening in my Master's stead, and to say in his own 
language. " Ye must be born again." I ask you not 
your Church, your age, your rank in society ; I ask you 
not whether you are educated or illiterate, I ask you not 
whether you are baptized or unbaptized, but I ask you : 
" Have you a sinful heart ? Are you living in rebellion 
against your God ? Are you breaking the Divine Laws V 
Is it so ? Then, on the authority of Christ I say, unless 
you be born from above you cannot enter -into the 
kingdom of God. Would you be born again ? Repent 
ye and believe the Gospel, for to as many as receive 
Him, to them giveth He power to become the sons of 
God. Would you have your hearts cleansed, would 
you be justified and sanctified ? Come to that precious 
blood of your Redeemer which cleanseth from all sin, 



300 LECTURE VII. 

for ye are washed, and sanctified, and justified in the 
name of the Lord J esus and by the Spirit of our God. 
" Ye must be born again." O ye spiritual prodigals! 
Your offended Father is waiting to receive you ; long 
have you wandered away from his home ; long have 
you disregarded his government ; but lo ! he appears, 
and from the distance where he now stands he cries, 
" Come now and let us reason together though your sins 
be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow." " Stands," 
did I say ? No ! he moves, he walks toward you ; walk 
you towards him, and he will accept you and be a 
Father unto you, and ye shall be his sons and daughters ; 
and then, with wonder and with joy, you shall exclaim 
together, " Behold what manner of love the Father hath 
bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of 
God." 



LECTURE VIII. 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 

If you survey the two great religious systems which the 
Divine Being has established amongst men, you will 
find between them some points of correspondence and 
many points of contrast. Judaism and Christianity 
have each their attesting miracles ; each has its law, 
its priesthood, its offering of sacrifice, its way of access 
to the Divine Presence, its method of pardon, its sacra- 
ments and ritual of worship ; and not only is there a 
general correspondence between these several parts of 
the two systems, but an intimate relation also — that 
which exists between a type and its anti-type. 

Very striking are the points of contrast between these 
two systems. Whether you contemplate its establish- 
ment or its operation, you see that each stands out in 
bold distinctness from the other. How different the 
first appearance of Jehovah to Moses, and the appear- 
ance of the same glorious Being in the stable of 
Bethlehem ; how different the giving of the law in the 
midst of the clouds and darkness, the lightnings and 
thunderings, the earthquake and trumpets and voices 
of Sinai, to the publication of the Christian law and 
doctrine in the sermon on the Mount ; how different 
the imposing ritual of the temple worship, with its altars 
and sacrifices, with its mitred pontiff, and sacrificing 
o 



802 



LECTURE VIII. 



priests, and attendant Levites, with its clouds of incense, i 
and its ceremonial ablutions and sprinklings of water 
and of blood, — to the simple forms of worship which 
the apostles and early Christians practised in the upper 
rooms of Jerusalem, and in the private dwellings of 
Judean villages, and in the highways and groves of the 
Holy Land ; with no other dome but that of Heaven's 
canopy, and no other priest but an unseen though 
spiritually present Jesus, and no other sacrifices but 
those of a broken and contrite spirit, and no other 
incense but that of ardent prayer to God. I am sure 
you have been often struck with the rigid simplicity 
of the apostolic ritual, as compared with the gorgeous- 
ness of the Levitical, which, glorious as it was, may be 
said to have had no glory by reason of the excelling 
glory of Christianity. The glory of the Christian 
system is not derived from its dazzling paraphernalia of 
gold and gems, or from its imposing ceremonial, but 
from its essential spirituality and its chaste simplicity. 
There is less of art in Christianity, and more of nature, 
less of matter and mere of life. Between the Jewish 
and Christian dispensations there is just the difference 
which exists between a gorgeous temple with its fluted 
columns, its rich capitals, its jutting architraves, its 
elaborated entablature, its bold cornices, its noble 
portico, its magnificent vestibule, its outer court, its 
inner sanctuary, its robed priests, its bedecked altars, 
its imposing ritual, its awe-struck worshippers — and a 
simple grove, nature's unartificial temple, with its mossy 
pavement, and its trees rising like columns, their over- 
hanging foliage forming a canopy that admits while it 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



303 



subdues the light of heaven, and its simple minded 
worshippers, sometimes prostrate, at other times daring 
to lift their eyes toward heaven, sometimes offering a 
prayer for mercy, at others sending up a note of praise, 
and at others again bending, like the cherubim, over 
the divine law ; exclaiming, " the Lord is in this place 
and we knew it not. How dreadful is this place, this 
is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate 
of Heaven." 

Who that has studied the history of the Christian 
Church does not know, that from a very early period 
in her history, there was manifested a proneness to 
wander away from the simplicity of the apostolic age ? 
As the church became numerous, wealthy, and influen- 
tial, the upper room, the highway, the grove were 
abandoned ; the rigid plainness of the first Christians 
was thought unsuitable to this altered position of the 
circumstances of the church. Large and expensive 
structures were erected, robes of office introduced, 
mitres were employed to adorn the heads of the suc- 
, cessors of plain fishermen, and sceptres of authority 
were put into their hands ; rivers and brooks were no 
longer the scenes of Christian baptism, these were re- 
placed by fonts of sculptured marble ; the breaking of 
bread and drinking of wine in commemoration of the 
blessed Saviour's death and passion, gradually assumed 
the distinction of a sacrifice, which was offered by 
bedizened priests in more than the pomp and splendours 
of the Jewish day of atonement ; the ministers of the 
church no longer content with the designation elder 
and bishop, became priests and archbishops and pon- 



304 



LECTURE VIIL 



tiffs; no longer were they servants but vicars of 
Christ ; and then political authority was usurped, 
kings were dethroned, persecution was fostered, and 
cruelties were practised, which have given to the 
church, aye the Christian Church, the unenviable dis- 
tinction of creating the gloom of the world's dark ages. 

These facts have forced themselves on my attention 
during this whole investigation, especially in examining 
the subject which I am to bring before you this evening : 
" The Christian Sacraments." The words which I have 
selected for a text you may find in the Gospel according 
to Saint Matthew, the fifteenth chapter at the ninth 
verse. It is thus rendered in the Douay Bible : — 

" And in vain do they worship me teaching- doc- 
trines AND COMMANDMENTS OF MEN." 

This is the tendency of human nature, to depart from 
the written law of God by superadding to it. The 
Scribes and the Pharisees did so; and the Great 
Teacher reproves them in this chapter. The teachers 
of the Christian Church have followed in their wake, 
adding, as we shall now prove, traditional prescriptions 
to the written Christian law. 

I. The first thing which we have this evening to 
determine is, " What is a Sacrament ?" 

There is no word in the Greek New Testament which 
could be rendered sacrament in the sense in which it is 
now almost universally understood in the Christian 
Church. The Greek word which the Vulgate some- 
times renders sacr amentum is jdvarriptov which is the 
same word as the Latin mysterium, and the English 
mystery, and means something secret, covered, hidden, 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



305 



concealed. This word ^vffrrjpiov occurs twenty-seven 
times in the New Testament, and it is worthy of remark 
that the Vulgate, while in nineteen instances it translates 
it by mysterium, only renders it by sacramentum eight 
times ; in the following passages, among others : 1. 
Timothy iii. 1 8, " Great is the mystery (sacramentum) 
of godliness." . Col. i. 27. " To whom God would make 
known the riches of the glory of this mystery (sacra- 
mentum) which is Christ in you the hope of glory." 
Apoc. xvii. 7. " I will tell thee the mystery (sacramen- 
tum) of the 'woman and, of the beast which carrieth her 
which had the seven heads and ten horns." It is still 
more worthy of remark that the Rhemish Translators 
in what is usually called the Douay Testament, and 
which is a translation from the Vulgate, out of the 
eight instances in which the word sacramentum occurs 
in the Vulgate, render it only once by sacrament, 
preferring in the other seven to retain the Greek word 
mystery. It is clear, therefore, that the translators of 
both the Vulgate and Douay versions understood the 
Latin sacramentum to be very generally used in the 
sense of mystery. Literally the Latin word means that 
particular form by which a person binds himself to 
discharge a duty or to fulfil a promise. It thus signifies 
in classical authors, a bond or oath ; and it is employed 
to signify especially a military oath. 

The Fathers frequently used the word in the sense of 
mystery, and also with great latitude. They sometimes 
called the Christian religion a sacrament ; the Trinity 
was a sacrament ; and it is perhaps to be regretted that 
a word which neither occurs in Scripture in the sense in 



306 



LECTUEE VIII. 



which it is now understood, nor has any representative 
there, should have been adopted -by the Christian 
Church with so restricted a meaning. But, since it has 
been adopted and defined by the Church generally, we 
must deal with it accordingly. Let us then examine 
the Protestant and Roman Catholic definitions of a 
Sacrament. 

In the xxvth Article of the Church of England it is 
said, " Sacraments ordained of Christ be not only 
badges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but 
rather they be certain sure witnesses, and effectual signs 
of grace, and God's good will towards us, by the which 
he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, 
but also strengthen and confirm our Faith in him." In 
the Catechism of the same Church, I read : " Ques. 
"What meanest thou by this word Sacrament ? Ans. 
I mean an outward and visible sign of an inward and 
spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ him- 
self, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a 
pledge to assure us thereof. Qices. How many parts 
are there in a Sacrament ? Ans. Two : the outward 
visible sign, and the inward spiritual grace." In the 
Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter xxvi., a 
Sacrament is thus defined : " I. Sacraments are holy signs 
and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately institu- 
ted by God, to represent Christ and his benefits, and to 
confirm our interest in him ; as also to put a visible 
difference between those that belong unto the church 
and the rest of the world ; and solemnly to engage them 
to the service of God in Christ, according to his word. 
II. There is in every sacrament a spiritual relation, or 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



307 



sacramental union, between the sign and the thing 
signified ; whence it comes to pass, that the names and 
effects of the one are attributed to the other. III. The 
grace which is exhibited in or by the sacraments, rightly 
used, is not conferred by any power in them ; neither 
doth the efficacy of a sacrament depend upon the piety 
or intention of him that doth administer it, but upon the 
work of the Spirit, and the word of institution ; which 
contains, together with a precept authorising the use 
thereof, a promise of benefit to worthy receivers." And 
in the larger Catechism I find the following : — " Ques. 
What is a sacrament ? Ans. A sacrament is an holy 
ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, 
seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant 
of grace, the benefits of his mediation ; to strengthen 
and increase their faith, and all other graces ; to oblige 
them to obedience ; to testify and cherish their love and 
communion one with another ; and to distinguish them 
from those that are without." In the larger Catechism 
of the Wesleyan Methodist Church I find, the following, 
which as you perceive is extracted from the Catechism 
of the Church of England : — " Ques. What mean you 
by the word sacrament ? Ans. I mean by the word 
sacrament an outward and visible sign of an inward 
and spiritual grace, given unto us, ordained by Christ 
himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and 
a pledge to assure us thereof." But, perhaps, the most 
comprehensive Protestant definition of sacrament is that 
which we find in the Heidleburg Catechism : " Sacra- 
ments are holy visible signs and seals ordained by God 
for this end, that he may more fully declare and seal 



308 



LECTURE VIII. 



by thern the promise of his Gospel unto us ; to wit, that 
not only unto all believers in general, but unto each of 
them in particular, he freely giveth remission of sins and 
life eternal, upon the account of that only sacrifice of 
Christ which he accomplished upon the cross." 

Turn we now to the Roman Catholic definition of a 
Sacrament. The Catechism of the Council of Trent, part 
ii., section 10, declares that " a sacrament is a thing sub- 
ject to the senses, and possessing by the institution of God, 
at once the power of signifying holiness and righteous- 
ness, and of imparting them to him who receives it." 
In Bishop Butler's Catechism, page 45, we have the 
following definition : — " Q. What is a sacrament ? 
A. A visible, that is, an outward sign or action, institu- 
ted by Christ, to give grace. Q. "Whence have the 
Sacraments the power of giving grace ? A. From the 
merits of Christ, which they apply to our souls. Rom. 
vi. 14." The fourth and following Canons of the 
seventh Session of the Council of Trent give further 
light on the doctrines of the Church respecting the 
sacraments : — " Whoever shall affirm, that the sacra- 
ments of the new law are not necessary to salva- 
tion, but superfluous ; or that men may obtain 
the grace of justification by faith only, without 
these sacraments, (although it is granted that they 
are not all necessary to every individual :) let him 
be accursed. Whoever shall affirm, that the sacra- 
ments were instituted solely for the purpose of strength- 
ening our faith : let him be accursed. Whoever shall 
affirm, that the sacraments of the new law do not 
contain the grace which they signify ; or that they do 



1 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS, 



309 



not confer that grace on those who place no obstacle in 
its way ; as if they were only the external signs of grace 
or righteousness received by faith, and marks of Chris- 
tian profession, whereby the faithful are distinguished 
from unbelievers : let him be accursed. Whoever shall 
affirm, that grace is not always conferred by these 
sacraments, and upon all persons, as far as God is con- 
cerned, if they be rightly received ; but that it is only 
bestowed sometimes, and on some persons : let him be 
accursed. Whoever shall affirm, that grace is not con- 
ferred by these sacraments of the new law, by their own 
power, [ex opere operate ;] but that faith in the divine 
promise is all that is necessary to obtain grace : let him 
be accursed." 

There are some things, therefore, in which Protestants 
and Catholics agree, — Firstly. They agree as to the 
institution of the sacraments. It is of God. The 
Catechism of the Council of Trent says ex Dei insiitu- 
tione — by the institution of God. Secondly. They 
acknowledge that the sacraments are outward signs of 
spiritual graces. Thirdly. They concur in this also, 
that there ought to be an agreement or fitness between 
the sign and the thing signified. 

But there are two particulars chiefly involved in 
the general doctrines of the Church of Rome respecting 
the sacraments, against which the Reformed Churches 
protest. The first relates to the inherent grace and 
power which are said to reside in the sacraments. 

The eighth Canon which we just now read, declares 
that grace is conferred by the sacraments, of or by their 
own power. The Catechism of the Council of Trent 
o2 



310 



LECTURE VIII. 



affirms that " in the sacraments the power of the 
Omnipotent exists, effectuating that which the natural 
elements cannot of themselves accomplish." It is 
difficult to determine what the Trentine Fathers meant 
by these expressions, for the seventh Canon declares 
that " grace is always conferred by these sacraments as 
far as God is concerned, if they be rightly received" 
which seems to contradict the opinion that sacraments 
confer grace by their own power. Roman Catholic 
divines are not themselves agreed as to the meaning of 
these conflicting Canons. Numerous opinions have 
been maintained, which have given rise to fierce con- 
tentions ; indeed such is the obscureness of the phrase- 
ology which the infallible council employed, that the 
wisest sons of the church have failed to make it clear, 
at least to each other, if not even to themselves. On 
one question, viz : " Whether the sacraments confer 
grace morally or physically" the Roman Catholic 
Church is divided into two great sects, the Thomists 
and the Scotists. The Thomists, who derive their 
designation from Thomas Aquinas, maintain, with their 
leader, that the sacraments confer grace physically. 
Peter Dens, and many other names of eminence, are 
found in this school. The Scotists, so called from Duns, 
a celebrated Scotch divine, and therefore known as 
Duns Scotus, maintain the doctrine, that the sacraments 
confer grace morally. Amongst the adherents to this 
opinion are Vasquez, Bonaventure, Richardus, and 
others. 

The Thomists maintain, that " the sacraments possess 
a physical causality, as the instruments of the Divine 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



311 



Omnipotence ; and truly and properly concur toward 
the production of their effects in the mind, by a 
supernatural virtue from the principal agent, communi- 
cated to, and united with it in the manner of a transient 
action." The Scotists, on the other hand, teach that 
" the sacraments do not confer grace physically, but 
morally ; that is, they do not produce grace as physical 
causes do, but as moral causes, inasmuch as they 
efficaciously move God to produce the grace which 
they signify, and which God Himself promises infallibly 
to give, as often as they are rightly administered, and 
worthily received. The Sacraments, as Sacraments, 
are something moral, depending solely on the institution 
of Christ, from which, and from the merits of Christ, 
they possess their entire force and efficacy of consola- 
tion, so that their manner of operation is not physical, 
but moral." — Ferraris Bib. 

Such are the conflicting views which exist in the 
Church of Rome herself, respecting sacramental 
■efficacy. Here is a substantial difference on an 
important doctrine. Can our Roman Catholic friends 
therefore, be surprised if Protestants ask them where, 
in this case, is their boasted unity ? If, concerning a 
doctrine of so much moment, there is serious disagree- 
ment between Roman Catholic Cardinals and Doctors, 
why is not the infallibility of the Church brought into 
requisition to settle this important difference, and to 
allay the minds of her obedient children ? We hear 
that the Church is the great exponent of Christian 
doctrine ; it is often urged against Protestants that 
they have no authority to settle points of doctrinal 



312 



LECTURE VIII. 



dispute, because they are destitute of that main attribute 
of the Church — infallibility ! Now, I think, we have 
good ground for asking, why one of these adverse sects 
has not been set right? and why the unity of the 
Roman Catholic Church has not been restored ? 

But where, in the Word of God, is the authority for 
this doctrine of salvation by the Sacraments ? I read 
that " he who believeth and is baptized shall be saved." 
I read, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
shalt be saved." I read " Neither circumcision availeth 
anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." I 
find then that faith is necessary to salvation, but I do 
not find that the sacraments are necessary to salvation. 
The damning sin of the soul is unbelief; for, said 
Christ, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be 
saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned." 
He does not say he that is not baptized shall be 
damned. And yet the Council of Trent anathematizes 
all those who declare that a man may obtain the grace 
of justification without these sacraments. Then Saints 
Ambrose, Cyril, and Augustine are anathematized, at 
least as to their memories and doctrines. We have 
only time to quote from Cyril, who, so far from believ- 
ing in the opus operatum of the sacraments, expressly 
declares in his first Catechism, that " Regeneration is 

AN EFFECT OF THE FAITH OF HIM THAT IS BAPTIZED." 

The second branch or section of Roman Catholic 
sacramental doctrines, against which the Reformed 
Churches protest, is the doctrine of ministerial intention 
as necessary to the efficacy of the sacraments. 

I might occupy the whole evening in exhibiting to 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



313 



you the various phases of this doctrine which are pre- 
sented to the mind of an inquirer in authorized Roman 
Catholic writers. 

The Council of Trent, in the eleventh Canon, Session 
vii., mates the following declaration : — " Whoever shall 
affirm, that when ministers perform and confer a sacra- 
ment, it is not necessary that they should at least 
have the intention to do what the church does : let him 
be accursed." 

" Representing, as he does, in the discharge of his 
sacred functions, not his own, but the person of Christ, 
the minister of the sacraments, be he good or bad, 
validly consecrates and confers the sacraments, provided 
he make use of the matter and form instituted by 
Christ, and always observed in the Catholic church, 
and intends to do what the church does in their admi- 
nistration."— Catechism, p. 150. 

There was offered in the Council great opposition to 
the introduction of this canon, especially by Catharinus, 
Bishop of Minori. This we have on the authority of 
Father Paul Sarpi, in h"s history of the Council, who, 
in his second book, furnishes a minute account of the 
arguments used by Catharin against the doctrine : — 

" Here, Catharin, Bishop of Minori, proposed a 
memorable thing, and which was judged by all, worthy 
of due consideration, and very weighty, viz : he said, 
that as to the Lutherans, who attribute no other virtue 
to the sacraments, but that of exciting faith, which may 
be awakened by other means, the receiving of the true 
sacrament is of small importance ; wherefore, also they 
say, that it is not necessary, and yet they hold it to be 



316 



LECTURE VIII. 



Bishop duly ordained without baptism. Behold here, 
how by the wickedness of a Minister we find in one 
sole act a million of nullities of sacraments ; and who 
would say, that in so great a number of nullities God 
supplies all by his Alruightiness,. and that by extraordi- 
nary remedies he provides for things of constant and 
daily use ? We should much rather be persuaded he 
hath already by his providence provided, that such like 
accidents cannot happen. And yet, said the Bishop, 
God hath provided against all inconveniences, having 
ordained that that should be a 'true sacrament, which 
is administered with the ceremonies ordained by him, 
though it may happen that the Minister may have 
another intention. He added, moreover, that this was 
not repugnant to the common doctrine of divines, nor 
to the determination of the Council of Florence, which 
imports, that the intention of the Minister is required to 
the sacrament ; because that is to be understood not of 
the internal intention, but of that which manifests itself 
in the outward work, though inwardly he might have 
a contrary intention. And that thus all those incon- 
veniences are avoided, which would otherwise be 
innumerable." 

" Intention," says Dens, " is the act of the will refer- 
ring to an end : whence the necessary intention in the 
minister, consists in the act of his will, whereby he wills 
the external act of the sacrament, under the profession 
of doing what the church does." He then distinguishes 
intention into actual, virtual, habitual, and interpre- 
tative ; and tells us that an habitual intention is not 
sufficient to the perfecting of a sacrament, nor an inter- 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



317 



pretative intention; that an actual intention suffices 
because it is the best, but that a virtual intention may 
and does suffice. 

Dens gives also the following' cases, amongst others, 
in explanation : " A general implied and confused inten- 
tion is enough, when it sufficiently determines to do 
those things externally which belong to the sacramental 
action. Hence, St. Thomas says, " Although he who 
does not believe baptism to be a sacrament, or to have 
any spiritual virtue, does not intend, while he baptizes to 
confer a sacrament, nevertheless, intending at the same 
time to do what the church does, though he may con- 
sider that to be nothing ; and because the church does 
something so of consequence, he intends to do the same 
obscurely bat not explicitly. In like manner, it is not 
required that the minister should explicitly do what the 
Church of Eome does." Again, quoting from St 
Thomas, he says : " If a priest intend to baptize a 
certain female to abuse her, or, if he intend to make 
the body of Christ that he may use it in order to 
poison . . . . , the perversity of such an inten- 
tion does not destroy the verity of the institution, but 
the minister sins grievously by such an intention." 

The Eoman missal has the following deliverance 
respecting the doctrine of intention : "1. If any priest 
does not intend or design to complete the sacrament, 
or to transubstantiate, 2. In like manner, if any hosts 
from forgetfulness remain upon the altar, 3. If any 
part of the wine or any hosts lie concealed, where he 
only intends to consecrate those he sees, 4. Likewise, 
if the priest has before him eleven hosts, and intends to 



316 



LECTURE VIII. 



Bishop duly ordained without baptism. Behold here, 
how by the wickedness of a Minister we find in one 
sole act a million of nullities of sacraments ; and who 
would say, that in so great a number of nullities God 
supplies all by his Almightiness,. and that by extraordi- 
nary remedies he provides for things of constant and 
daily use ? We should much rather be persuaded he 
hath already by his providence provided, that such like 
accidents cannot happen. And yet, said the Bishop, 
God hath provided against all inconveniences, having 
ordained that that should be a "true sacrament, which 
is administered with the ceremonies ordained by him, 
though it may happen that the Minister may have 
another intention. He added, moreover, that this was 
not repugnant to the common doctrine of divines, nor 
to the determination of the Council of Florence, which 
imports, that the intention of the Minister is required to 
the sacrament ; because that is to be understood not of 
the internal intention, but of that which manifests itself 
in the outward work, though inwardly he might have 
a contrary intention. And that thus all those incon- 
veniences are avoided, which would otherwise be 
innumerable." 

" Intention," says Dens, u is the act of the will refer- 
ring to an end : whence the necessary intention in the 
minister, consists in the act of his will, whereby he wills 
the external act of the sacrament, under the profession 
of doing what the church does." He then distinguishes 
intention into actual, virtual, habitual, and interpre- 
tative ; and tells us that an habitual intention is not 
sufficient to the perfecting of a sacrament, nor an inter- 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



317 



pretative intention ; that an actual intention suffices 
because it is the best, but that a virtual intention may 
and does suffice. 

Dens gives also the following' cases, amongst others, 
in explanation : " A general implied and confused inten- 
tion is enough, when it sufficiently determines to do 
those things externally which belong to the sacramental 
action. Hence, St. Thomas says, " Although he who 
does not believe baptism to be a sacrament, or to have 
any spiritual virtue, does not intend, while he baptizes to 
confer a sacrament, nevertheless, intending at the same 
time to do what the church does, though he may con- 
sider that to be nothing ; and because the church does 
something so of consequence, he intends to do the same 
obscurely but not explicitly. In like manner, it is not 
required that the minister should explicitly do what the 
Church of Rome does." Again, quoting from St. 
Thomas, he says : " If a priest intend to baptize a 
certain female to abuse her, or, if he intend to make 
the body of Christ that he may use it in order to 
poison . . . . , the perversity of such an inten- 
tion does not destroy the verity of the institution, but 
the minister sins grievously by such an intention." 

The Roman missal has the following deliverance 
respecting the doctrine of intention : " 1. If any priest 
does not intend or design to complete the sacrament, 
or to transubstantiate, 2. In like manner, if any hosts 
from forgetfulness remain upon the altar, 3. If any 
part of the wine or any hosts lie concealed, where he 
only intends to consecrate those he sees, 4. Likewise, 
if the priest has before him eleven hosts, and intends to 



318 



LECTURE VIII. 



consecrate only ten, not determining which ten, in these 
cases he does not consecrate, that is, no transubstantia- 
tion takes place, because his intention is wanting." 

It is time to ask our Roman Catholic friends whether 
they have sufficiently weighed the force, and the possible 
consequences to themselves, of this marvellous doctrine. 
"Whatever you make of the doctrine of priestly inten- 
tion, you must suppose it possible that, under certain 
circumstances the necessary intention may be wanting ; 
and further, that these circumstances may have existed 
in your own case. How do you know that the last 
absolution which you received was not without inten- 
tion ? Are you certain that the last time you adored 
the host it was not a host at all, but a mere wafer, 
because of defect of intention on the part of the conse- 
crating priest? How know you that the priest who 
baptized you, intended to do what the church intends ? 
How do you know that the Bishop who confirmed you, 
had the intention to do so ; or if he had, are you 
sure that he was truly baptized, or ordained, or conse- 
crated ? Is it not possible that some, flaw of intention 
might have nullified one of the sacraments which he 
received, so as that he is no Bishop at all ? Is it not 
possible that some centuries ago, in the line from which 
the priest who last absolved you has apostolically 
descended, there may have been some flaw through 
want of intention ? Where is the certainty of your 
salvation? You are removed from the rock Christ, 
who always intends to save, and the church places you 
on the insecure and dangerous quicksands of priestly 
intention. No one who is not rightly baptized can, 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



319 



according to the doctrine of the Church of Rome be 
saved ; and yet you have no certainty of true baptism. 
He who adores - an unconsecrated wafer is guilty of 
idolatry, (according to the doctrine of the church,) 
and yet you are not sure but that many of the hosts 
before which you have prostrated yourselves were un- 
duly consecrated. On your own principles you ought 
not to bow down before the sacred wafer without being 
sure of its transubstantiation, and yet you never have, 
and never can have this assurance ! As it respects also 
your dying and departed friends, what certainty have 
you that the sacrament of extreme unction was duly 
administered, or that the masses which are now said 
for the removal of their souls from purgatory, supposing 
true masses to be prevalent, are said with an intention to 
do what the Church does ? How different this from the 
simplicity of the Gospel, which suspends not the salvation 
of a sinner upon the will or intention of a priest, or 
any other mortal, but which says, " Believe in the 
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." How far 
St. Chrysostom was from entertaining this notion of 
priestly intention may be learned from his eighty-fifth 
Homily upon J ohn, in which he says, " I do not only 
assert that the priests, but that an angel of God can do 
nothing in things that are given by God. It is the 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that order all things ; for 
the Priest, he only lends his tongue and hand." Listen 
also to St. Augustine in his eightieth Homily on St. 
"John's Gospel, (vol. ii, p. 827): " Now ye are clean 
because of the Word ivhich I have spoken unto you. 
Why saith he not, Are clean because of the baptism 



320 



LECTURE VIII. 



wherewith ye are washed — but because in the water 
also it is the word that cleanseth. Whence hath water 
this so great virtue to touch the body, and wash the 
heart, but by the Word doing it, not because it is 
spoken, but because it is believed." This does not 
say much for the doctrine of priestly intention. What 
can Reman Catholics say of the antiquity and 
apostolicity of their doctrines in face of the fact that 
the doctrine against which we now protest, was first 
broached before a Council in 1414, — the Council of 
Constance ? It accords not with the genius of 
Christianity, nor with the universal benevolence of the 
Gospel, nor with the freedom of individual man, nor 
with either God's justice or God's love to make the 
salvation of hundreds and of thousands dependent on 
the intention of a single man. 

II. We have now to determine the dumber of 

THOSE RITES OF CHRISTIANITY WHICH, IN THE SENSE 
BEFORE STATED, MAT BE DENOMINATED SACRAMENTS. 

The Reformed Churches acknowledge two, and but 
two : Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 

The Roman Catholic Church also acknowledges these 
to be Sacraments, but adds five others to them, viz : — . 
Confirmation, Penance, Extreme Unction, Orders, 
and Matrimony. 

1. We have not then to discuss the question, whether 
Baptism and the Holy Eucharist are Sacraments. To 
this, both Protestants and Catholics assent. It may be 
well, however, to give, in brief, the leading views 
respecting these Sacraments of each community, and 
then to state the grounds of protest, if any, which exist 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



321 



in the standards of the Roman Catholic Church, con- 
cerning the doctrines involved in them, or the ceremonies 
practised in their administration. 

First, then, as to Baptism. I know not that I can 
more fully present the Protestant view of this sacra- 
mental rite than by reading the twenty-eighth Chapter 
of the Westminster Confession : — " Baptism is a sacra- 
ment of the new Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, 
not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized 
into the visible church, but also to be unto him a sign 
and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting 
into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and 
of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ, to 
walk in newness of life : which sacrament is, by Christ's 
own appointment, to be continued in his church until 
the end of the world. The outward element to be used 
in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be 
baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost, by a minister of the gospel, 
lawfully called thereunto. Dipping of the person into 
the water is not necessary; but baptism is rightly 
administered by pouring or sprinkling water upon the 
person. Not only those who do actually profess faith 
in and obedience unto Christ, but also the infants of 
one or both believing parents are to be baptized. 
Although it be a great sin to contemn or neglect this 
ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so insepar- 
ably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regene- 
rated or saved without it, or that all that are baptized 
are undoubtedly regenerated." 

The Roman Catholic view is thus denned and explain- 



322 



LECTURE VIII. 



ed by the Council of Florence : — " Holy baptism pos- 
sesses the first place among the sacraments, because 
it is the door of spiritual life : for by it we become 
members of Christ, and of the body of the Church. 
And since by the first man death hath entered into the 
world, we cannot (as saith the truth) enter into the 
kingdom of heaven, unless we are born again of water 
and the Holy Spirit. The matter of this sacrament is 
true natural water; nor is it any difference whether 
cold or hot. But the form is : ' I baptize thee in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost.' Nor do we deny but that also by these words, 
' Let this servant of Christ be baptized in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,' or 
' This person is baptized by my hands, in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,' 
true baptism is effected ; the principal cause from which 
baptism hath its virtue being the holy Trinity ; and the 
officiating Minister, if the act is expressed, and exercis- 
ed by him with the invocation of the holy Trinity, 
perfects the sacrament. The Minister of this sacrament 
is a Priest, to whose office it belongs to baptize. But 
in case of necessity, not only a Priest or Deacon, but 
also a layman or woman, nay, even a Pagan or heretic, 
can baptize, while he observes the form of the Church, 
and intends to do what the Church doeth. The effect 
of this sacrament is the remission of all original and 
actual guilt; also of all punishment which is due for 
any guilt. Besides, to the baptized there is no satisfac- 
tion enjoined for past sins ; but those who die before 
they commit any sin arrive immediately in the kingdom 
of heaven and to the vision of God." 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



323 



You observe from these extracts that there are 
several points of agreement between the two communi- 
ties. The matter of baptism is the same, the form is 
the same, " I baptize thee, <fcc," there is also an agreement 
as to the sign, and as to the thing signified. More than 
this, the Church of Rome acknowledges that Protest- 
ants have this sacrament in its integrity: "Whoever 
shall afhrm that baptism when administered by heretics 
(i. e. by Protestants) in the name of the Father, of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with the intention to do 
what the Church does, is not true baptism, let him be 
accursed." 

The chief point of disagreement is that which relates 
to the effect of Baptism in the justification and regene- 
ration of the recipient. This question has been 
discussed at so great length already, not only this even- 
ing in our remarks on sacramental efficacy generally, 
but also and chiefly in the lectures on justification and 
regeneration, that I need not repeat the discussion here. 
I must, notwithstanding, mention two particulars before 
I go on to the consideration of the Eucharist : — 

One relates to the case of unbaptized infants. The 
Church of Rome, in the Catechism of the Council of 
Trent, teaches that without baptism children are born 
to eternal misery and everlasting destruction ; that bap- 
tism alone can impart that righteousness and those 
graces which will give them a title to reign in eternal 
life ; that infants, unless baptized^ can not enter heaven. 
How opposed this to the principles of that divine 
government which is carried on through our mediator, 
Christ Jesus ! From this doctrine of the Church of 



324 



LECTURE VIII. 



Rome, it follows, that thousands and millions of infants 
die eternally, not from their own, but from others' 
neglect. How opposed to the express declaration of 
Scripture ! for I read in the Douay Bible, Mat. xviii. 3 : 
" Amen, I say unto you y unless you be converted and 
become as little children you shall not enter into the 
kingdom'? of heaven." I read again in Mark x. 14, that 
J esus said : " Suffer the little children to come unto me 
and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of 
God." 

The other particular relates to the ceremonies which 
the Roman Catholic Church has added to the simple 
method which the Apostles employed in the ministra- 
tion of baptism. 

These ceremonies are threefold : 

(1.) The first are those which precede the approach 
to the baptismal font. The blessing of the baptismal 
waters. This is done only on the eve of Easter or of 
Pentecost, unless in cases of necessity. A lighted torch 
is put into the font to represent the fire of Divine love 
which is communicated to the soul by baptism ; and the 
light of good example which all who are baptized ought 
to give. Holy oil and chrism are mixed with the water 
to represent the spiritual union of the soul with God 
by the grace received in baptism. Then comes the 
'presentation of the candidate at the church 'door, who is 
forbidden to enter, as unworthy to be admitted to the 
house of God until he has cast off the yoke of Satan. 
If it be an adult, Catechetical instruction is admin- 
istered. The next ceremony is denominated the exorcism, 
which consists of sacred words and prayers for the 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



325 



purpose of expelling the devil from the candidate, and 
of insufflation, or breathing upon him with the words, 
" Depart from me thou unclean spirit and give place to 
the Holy Ghost, the Comforter." The Priest then puts 
a little blessed salt into the mouth, saying, " Receive the 
salt of wisdom : may it be unto thee a propitiation 
unto life everlasting." Then the forehead, eyes, breast, 
and shoulders, and ears are signed with the sign of the 
cross ; and lastly, another exorcism is recited, the priest 
touching with a little spittle the ears and nostrils of the 
person to be baptized, and saying, " Ephphatha, i. e., 
be thou opened into an odour of sweetness ; but be thou 
put to flight, O devil, for the judgment of God will be 
- at hand." This completes the preparatory ceremonial. 

(2.) Those rites which are discharged at the font are, 
first, the renunciation, when affirmative answers are 
given to the questions. " Hast thou renounced Satan ? 
and all his works ? and all his pomps?" Then the indi- 
vidual is anointed with holy oil on the breast, and 
between the shoulders, during which the Priest says, 
" I anoint thee with the oil of salvation in Christ Jesus 
our Lord, that thou mayest have life everlasting." He 
is then interrogated respecting the several articles of the 
Creed and is baptized in the name of the blessed 
Trinity. 

(3.) There are also the ceremonies which follow the ad- 
ministration of baptism. The priest anoints with chrism 
the crown of the head, to show that the recipient of 
baptism is united to Christ his Head, and ingrafted on 
his body. Then a w T hite garment is put upon the bap- 
tized person, the Priest saying, " Receive this garment 
p 



826 



LECTURE VIII. 



which mayest thou carry unstained before the judgment- 
seat of Christ, that thou mayest have eternal life. Amen." 
In the case of infants, a white kerchief is substituted for 
the garment. A burning light is then put into the 
hand as an emblem of the light of a good example. 

I have been thus particular in the description of 
these rites because they constitute so striking a com- 
mentary upon the language of my text, " teaching 
doctrines and commandments of men." Where is 
prescribed in the Gospel such a ceremonial as this? 
What Bishop consecrated the water in which the 
Eunuch was baptized? Can any man forbid water 
said Peter, that these should not be baptized? but he 
does not mention salt, or oil, or chrism. Oh ! it is a 
grave departure from the simplicity of the Gospel on 
the part of our friends of the Church of Rome, that 
such rites as these should be practised ; and who can 
calculate the amount of injury which they engender, by 
drawing off the minds of the people from the spiritual 
character of the sacrament, to the merely outward show 
and form ? 

Second, The Lord's Supper, or Eucharist, is the 
other sacrament which the Protestant Churches 
acknowledge and celebrate in common with the Church 
of Rome. 

The Protestant view of this sacrament is so clearly 
expressed in the Larger Catechism of the' Church of 
Scotland, that I shall merely quote from it : — 

Q. What is the Lord's Supper ? 

A. The Lord's Supper is a sacrament of the New 
Testament wherein, by giving and receiving bread and 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



327 



wine according to the appointment of Jesus Christ, his 
death is shewed forth ; and they that worthily commu- 
nicate feed upon his body and blood, to their spiritual 
nourishment and growth in grace ; have their union 
and communion with him confirmed ; testify and renew 
their thankfulness, and engagement to God, and their 
mutual love and fellowship each with other, as members 
of the same mystical body. 

Q. How hath Christ appointed bread and wine to be 
given and received in the sacrament of the Lord's 
supper ? 

A. Christ hath appointed the ministers of his word, 
in the administration of this sacrament of the Lord's 
supper, to set apart the bread and wine from common 
use, by the word of institution, thanksgiving, and 
prayer ; to take and break the bread, and to give both 
the bread and the wine to the communicants : who are, 
by the same appointment, to take and eat the bread, 
and to drink the wine, in thankful remembrance that 
the body of Christ was broken and given, and his blood 
shed, for them. 

Q. How do they that worthily communicate in the 
Lord's supper feed upon the body and blood of Christ 
therein I 

A. As the body and blood of Christ are not corpo- 
rally or carnally present in, with, or under the bread 
and wine in the Lord's supper, and yet are spiritually 
present to the faith of the receiver, no less truly and 
really than the elements themselves are to their outward 
senses ; so they that worthily communicate in the 
sacrament of the Lord's supper, do therein feed upon 



328 



LECTURE VIII, 



the body and blood of Christ, not after a corporal and 
carnal, but in a spiritual manner ; yet truly and really ? 
while by faith they receive and apply unto themselves 
Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death. 

Q. How are they that receive the sacrament of the 
Lord's supper to prepare themselves before they come 
unto it ? 

A. They that receive the Sacrament of the Lord's 
supper are, before they come, to prepare themselves 
thereunto, by examining themselves of their being in 
Christ, of their sins and wants ; of the truth and 
measure of their knowledge, faith, repentance ; love to 
God and the brethren, charity to all men, forgiving 
those that have done them wrong ; of their desires after 
Christ, and of their new obedience ; and by renewing 
the exercise of these graces, by serious meditation, and 
fervent prayer. 

The Roman Catholic view of this sacrament is found 
in the Canons of the Council of Trent : " Whoever shall 
deny, that in the most holy sacrament of the eucharist 
there are truly, really, and substantially contained the 
body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with 
his soul and divinity, and consequently Christ entire ; 
but shall affirm that he is present therein only in a sign 
or figure, or by his power : let him be accursed. 

" Whoever shall affirm, that Christ, the only begotten 
Son of God, is not to be adored in the holy eucharist 
with the external signs of that worship which is due to 
God; and therefore that the eucharist is not to be 
honoured with extraordinary festive celebration, nor 
solemnly carried about in processions, according to the 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



329 



laudable and universal rites and customs of holy church, 
nor publicly presented to the people for their adoration ; 
and that those who worship the same are idolaters : let 
him be accursed. 

"Whoever shall affirm, that all and every one of 
Christ's faithful are bound by divine command to 
receive the most holy sacrament of the eucharist in both 
kinds, as necessary to salvation : let him be accursed. 

" Whoever shall affirm, that a true and proper sacri- 
fice is not offered to God in the mass; or that the 
offering is nothing else than giving Christ to us to eat : 
let him be accursed." 

There are in the doctrines and practices thus set forth 
by the Council of Trent, four things against which the 
Reformed churches most solemnly protest; Transub- 
stantiation, The Sacrifice of the Mass, The adoration of 
the Host, and Communion in one kind. 

The two first of these, Transubstantiation and the 
Sacrifice of the Mass, were discussed at great length in 
the Lecture on " the one Sacrifice for sin," and the 
Reformed Protest incontestably maintained, on the 
authority of both Scripture and the early Fathers. But, 
against the present doctrines of the Church of Rome as 
to transubstantiation and the sacrifice of the Mass, I 
wish to present one additional proof from antiquity. It 
is from the liturgy of St. Basil. I beg your particular 
attention to it because it demonstrates that the Roman 
Catholic Church has departed from both, the doctrines 
and the practices of antiquity. After the words of 
consecration by the priest, St. Bazil calls the elements 
44 ra avrtrvrra rod aylov au)jj,arog Kat alfxaroQ rod 



330 LECTURE VIII. 

Xpiffrov." — the antitypes of the holy body and blood of 
Christ. How could he have called them antitypes after 
consecration, if he believed the Roman Catholic theory, 
which indeed obliges all its followers to call them the 
veritable body, soul and divinity of the blessed Saviour ? 
It is impossible to conceive that this was his belief. 
But let us follow him in his prayer : " May the spirit 
come upon us and upon the gifts proposed, to bless and 
\jy*4jJ^ sanctify them, and to make this the veritable 

body of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and this 
cup his blood, the Spirit working the changed- — A 
prayer which, after consecration of the bread and Avine, 
would be utterly inconsistent in the mouth of a Catholic 
priest in the present day. 

The elevation and adoration of the host is another 
thing against which Protestants remonstrate ; a practice 
which stands or falls with the doctrine of transubstantia- 
tion. We remark, (1.) because there is no ground for 
this doctrine of transubstantiation, either in the scriptures 
or in the early fathers of the church, as was proved in 
the former lecture, we are therefore bound to protest 
against it as both unscriptural and idolatrous. But 
independently of this we protest against it, (2.) Be- 
cause it was not the practice of the Apostles as recorded 
in the Word of God. If our Catholic friends say that 
they have warrant for it in scripture, the onus probandi 
is upon them, they must prove that it is so, and not we 
that it is not. We protest against it, (3.) Because it 
is opposed to the practice of the ancient church after 
the apostolic age. The first command which the 
church received for the elevation and adoration of the 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



331 



host, was in the year 1216, the year following that in 
which the Lateran Council was held, when Pope 
Honorius ordered that the priests, at a certain part of 
the service of the mass, should elevate the host and 
cause the people to prostrate themselves in worshipping 
it. We challenge our Roman Catholic friends to pro- 
duce higher or more ancient authority for this practice, 
in the Church generally, than the early part of the 
thirteenth century. And yet the Church of Rome, as 
to both doctrines and practices, lays claim to apostolicity 
and antiquity ! 

With equal earnestness we protest against the practice 
of half-communion, i. e., withholding the cup from the 
laity. 

That there is no scriptural warrant for such a practice 
is evident from the words of Christ, " Drink ye all of 
this." But it has been argued that the Apostles were 
clergymen, and that therefore these words of Christ are 
not to be taken in proof that the laity are entitled to 
drink of the cup. But those who reason thus forget 
that the same argument would deprive the laity of the 
bread also. Besides, in the Roman Catholic church, no 
one receives the cup but the officiating priest, the 
Bishops, if they are present, receive but in one kind :- — 
the Pope, if he is dying, receives but in one kind ; if then 
this be the scriptural practice, ' the Saviour ought to 
have withheld the cup from the disciples. But both the 
Council of Constance and the Council of Trent, acknow- 
ledge that communion in both kinds was the ancient 
practice of the church, and give as the reason for the 
change, the avoidance of certain dangers and scandals. 



832 



LECTURE VIII, 



I ask, was there not the same exposure to dangers and 
scandals in the age of the Apostles as in the year 1214 ? 
How is it that the blessed Saviour and the inspired 
Apostles did not foresee those dangers and scandals which 
arise from giving the cup to the laity ? How ? Because 
they did not believe the doctrine of transubstantiation. 
Well had it been for these Councils had they remembered 
the words of St. Ambrose, who in his commentary upon 
1 Corinthians, si., says : " It is an insult to the Lord to 
celebrate the sacrament otherwise than he did. For he 
cannot be devout who presumes to give it in any other 
way than as it ivas given by its author" 

It is worthy of remark here, that Pope Leo, in the 
year 443, excommunicated the Manicheans, who, on the 
plea of their abhorring wine, refused the sacramental 
cup ; he also termed their practice, " sacrilegious dis- 
simulation." And in 495, Pope Gelasius used still 
stronger language respecting these same Manicheans, 
enjoining the entire observance or the entire relinquish- 
ment of the institution, and adding these words, " the 
division of one and the same mystery cannot be effected 
without great sacrilege." On the authority, therefore, of 
Pope Gelasius, the two Councils of Lateran and Trent 
are guilty of great sacrilege. 

2. We have now to speak of those five rites which 
the Church of Rome has exalted to the dignity of 
sacraments, viz : Confirmation, Penance, Extreme Unc- 
tion, Orders, and Matrimony. The following is the 
Canon of the Council of Trent on this subject. " Who- 
ever shall affirm that the sacraments of the new law 
were not all instituted by Christ, or that they were more 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



333 



or fewer than seven, namely : Baptism, Confirmation, 
the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Orders, and 
Matrimony ; or that any of these is not truly and pro- 
perly a sacrament, let him be accursed." 

Cardinal Bellarmine, in his Treatise on the sacra- 
ments, hook ii. sec. 25, says: — "All our divines and 
the whole church, for five hundred years, viz. : from the 
time of the Master of the sentences, have agreed in the 
number of the seven sacraments." See how completely 
this celebrated defender of the Church of Rome mani- 
fests the weakness of his cause, by acknowledging that 
he could not trace the antiquity of this belief in seven 
sacraments higher than one thousand years after the 
age of the Apostles ? What matters it, that the Church 
for five centuries, avowed this belief, if it should not 
avow it for the other ten ? And what becomes of the 
infallibility of the Church, if for ten centuries she allowed 
her children to be ignorant of the fact that Jesus Christ 
(as says the Trentine Council) instituted seven instru- 
ments of grace, whereas they only recognized two or 
three of them ? The Church, therefore, has not even the 
evidence of Catholic tradition in support of her present 
belief on this subject. St. Isidore, Bishop of Seville, 
who lived in the beginning of the seventh century, 
writing a work on the Offices of the Church, in which 
he necessarily treats of the sacraments, names only 
Baptism, Chrism or Confirmation, and the Eucharist ; 
and he tells us " they are therefore called sacraments, 
because, under the covering of corporal things, a secret 
and invisible virtue is conveyed to the partakers of 
them." 

p2 



334 



LECTURE VIII. 



It is not, be it remembered, pleaded by Protestants 
that these rites did not exist in the Christian Church 
before the tenth century, but it is contended that they 
were not all regarded as sacraments, even in the sense in 
which the Church of Eome defines a sacrament. Yet 
the Catechism of the Council of Trent ventures the 
assertion, that these seven sacraments can be proved 
from Scripture, though it does not vouchsafe the pas- 
sages or texts. Peter Dens, however, in his Theology, 
has the following : " The number seven is also insinuated 
in various places of scripture. Thus, in Pro v. ix., it is 
said, " Wisdom, which is Christ, hath built her house, 
i. e. the Church, and hath cut out her seven pillars, to 
wit, the seven sacraments, which as so many pillars, 
sustain the Church." Thus, in like manner, in Exod. 
xxv. by the seven lights, which were in one candlestick, 
this is insinuated : for the seven sacraments are, as it 
were, so many lights which illuminate the church. In 
the Council of Trent, for example, it was agreed that 
seven is a perfect number, that since there are seven 
days in the week, seven planets, seven excellent virtues, 
seven deadly sins, &c, so there are seven sacraments." 
Well may we exclaim in the language of the text, " In 

VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME TEACHING DOCTRINES AND 
COMMANDMENTS OF MEN." 

But let us briefly and singly examine the claims of 
these five additional rites to the dignity of sacraments. 

(1st.) As to Penance. The doctrines involved in 
Penance, were discussed in a former lecture. As to its 
being a sacrament, it seems difficult to impart to it such 
a character or position. Two things says St. Augustine 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



335 



^re necessary to the matter of a sacrament; 1st. that it 
■be an external and sensible sign ; 2d. that there must be 
& resemblance between the sign and the thing signified." 
E. g. In baptism water is the sign, spiritual washing is 
the thing- signified ; — in the Eucharist bread and wine 
are the signs — the body and blood of Christ the things 
signified. What sign, then, is there in penance? 
What "corporeal thing," to use the language of St. 
Isidore, " covers the secret grace V* How can contri- 
tion make up any part of the matter of a sacrament, when 
it is not external ? How can confession when it is no visible 
sign ? How can satisfaction which may be done when 
the effect of the sacrament is over in absolution ? It is 
said that the grace of the sacrament is conveyed by 
the words " Ahsolvo te, <&c." I absolve thee ; and yet 
the acknowledged doctrine of the Church is, that before 
the penitent goes into the confessional, if he have con- 
trition, God has already absolved him, and that in this 
case the priest does not absolve but makes a declarative 
announcement of what has taken place before. How 
then does this accord with the doctrine of the Church, 
that a sacrament always confers grace, and that the 
sacrament of penance always confers absolution ? There 
is also another difficulty, the more serious because 
scriptural, which I have never seen explained. On the 
■day of Pentecost, Peter the Apostle commanded the 
people, so says the Douay Testament, to " do penance 
and be baptized f did the people therefore receive the 
sacrament of penance first, and did the apostles then 
confer the initiatory sacrament of baptism ? 

(2d.) As to Orders, or the ordination of ministers. 



336 



LECTURE VIII. 



The question is not whether ordination of ministers by- 
imposition of hands is a Christian institution, to this 
perhaps we shall mostly agree, but whether it is a 
sacrament ordained by Christ, possessing a visible sign, 
a promise of grace, and a correspondence between the 
sign and the thing signified. The Council of Florence 
declares that the visible sign is the delivery of a chalice 
with wine it, and a paten with bread upon it into the 
hands of the person to be ordained, and that the form 
is "Receive thou power of offering sacrifice in the 
Church of God for the living and the dead." Did 
Christ institute this matter and form ? Bellarmine is 
obliged to acknowledge, that there is no proof of his 
ever having ordained his apostles by imposition of hands; 
and who ever heard of the cup and the paten for the 
first thousand years of the Christian era ? Who ever 
heard, for this entire period, of the form which we have 
just quoted? There is no such form in the Apostolic 
canons as they are called. The most ancient account 
that we have of ordaining is in the fourth council of 
Carthage, but there is no such form of words to be 
found there ; no mention of the cup and paten there ; 
and yet Christ instituted this sacrament, and these forms 
too, according to the Trentine Council ! Is not this 

TEACHING DOCTRINES AND COMMANDMENTS OF MEN ? 

(3rd.) As to Matrimony, which is exalted by the 
Church of Home to the dignity of a sacrament. The 
arguments which are brought to support this view are 
so puerile that I shall not occupy your time with their 
investigation. It is enough that we acknowledge 
" marriage to be honorable in all, and the bed Tmde- 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS, 



SBl 



filed, and that whoremongers and adulterers God will 
judge." But when Bellarmine confesses that he does 
not ground this doctrine upon the use of the word 
sacramentum inEph.v. 32 : " Sacr amentum hoc magnum 
est" — This is a great sacrament, — because, as he says, 
the word is joined to some things which are not sacra- 
ments, I think we may forego the labour of a lengthened 
investigation and merely read the passage from the 
Douay Bible : — " Husbands, love your wives, as Christ 
also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it. 
That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the 3 aver of 
water in the word of life. That he might present it to 
himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, 
or any such thing, but that it should be holy and with- 
out blemish. So also ought men to love their wives as 
their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth 
himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh : but 
nourisheth and cherisheth it, as also Christ doth the 
church. Because we are members of his body, of his 
flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man 
leave his father and mother : and shall cleave to his 
wife, and they shall be two in one flesh. This is a great 

SACRAMENT : BUT I SPEAK IN CHRIST AND IN THE 
CHURCH." 

(4th.) As to Confirmation. The language of the 
Church of Rome is : " Confirmation is a sacrament 
instituted by Christ the Lord by which the Holy Spirit 
is given to the baptized, constantly and intrepidly to 
profess the faith of Christ." It differs from baptism, 
according to the following manner which I extract from 
the Catechism of the Council of Trent : " As by the 



ISCTUitE VIIl. 



grace of baptism we are begotten to newness of life, so, 
by confirmation, we grow to full maturity having put 
away the things of a child." The scripture texts alleged 
in support of this view of confirmation, are those in the 
Acts of the Apostles which speak of the laying on of the 
apostles' hands for the descent of the Holy Ghost ; but 
it will be. easily seen that these passages do not prove 
the sacramental character of confirmation. We quarrel 
not with the Church of Rome or with any other Church 
for instituting an arrangement with a view to the public 
acknowledgment by persons baptized in infancy, of those 
vows, which baptism imposed and still imposes upon 
them ; we think rather, that it would be advantageous to 
any Church to establish some suitable and evangelical 
form for the accomplishment of such an object. But when 
Christ's authority is produced for the ceremony of con- 
firmation as celebrated by the Church of Rome, and 
when by virtue of such authority it is dignified as a 
sacrament ; we must protest against such human 
additions to the commandments of the Gospel. The 
Church of Rome teaches us that here are all the requi- 
sites of a true sacrament. 1st. We have the visible 
sign or matter chrism, which" is a compound of oil of 
olives and balsam. 2dly. We have the grace con- 
ferred, viz : — strengthening and perfecting grace. 
3dly. We have the form of administration, " I sign 
thee with the sign of the cross, and I confirm thee with 
the chrism of salvation in the name of the Father, <fec." 
It is sufficient to demand the New Testament authority 
for all this. Granted that in their apostolic tours, the 
first ministers of the Gospel confirmed the Churches; 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



339 



granted that the Holy Spirit is the comforter and 
strengthener of the members of Christ, but will you tell 
me where in the Holy Scriptures I may find a proof of 
the sacramental authority of confirmation as celebrated 
by the Church of Rome ? 

(5th.) As to Extreme Unction. Our Roman Catholic 
friends rest this rite or sacrament upon two passages of 
the New Testament. But before we refer to them it 
will be well to state the Roman Catholic view of this 
ceremony from their own authorities : " This sacred - 
unction of the sick was instituted as a true and proper 
sacrament of the ISTew Testament by Christ Jesus our 
Lord; being first intimated by Mark, (ch. vi. 13,) and 
afterwards recommended and published to the faithful 
by James the apostle, brother of our Lord. ' Is any 
man,' saith he, ' sick among you ? Let him bring in 
the priests of the church ; and let them pray over him, 
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord : and 
the prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the 
Lord shall raise him up ; and if he be in sins, they shall 
be forgiven him.' (James v. 14, 15.) In which words, 
as the church has learned by apostolical tradition, 
handed down from age to age, he teaches the matter, 
form, proper minister, and effect of this salutary sacra- 
ment. For the church understands the matter of the 
sacrament to be the oil, blessed by the bishop ; the 
unction most fitly representing the grace of the Holy 
Spirit, wherewith the soul of the sick man is invisibly 
anointed. The form is contained in the words of admi- 
nistration." — Council of Trent. 

It is clear, therefore, that the Roman Catholic 



340 



LECTURE VIII. 



Church, relies on two passages as their authority for 
practising this rite, that in Mark vi. 13, in which the 
sacrament is said to be insinuated, and that in James 
v. 14, &c, in which it is said to be promulgated: — 
" And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil 
many that were sick, and healed them." " Is any man 
sick among you ? Let him bring in the priests of the 
church, and let them pray over him, anointing him 
with oil in the name of the Lord." 

Now concerning the passage in Mark, it is clear that 
whatever unction the disciples administered, it was not 
extreme, for the sick persons were anointed with a view 
to their being healed, and it is expressly stated that 
they were healed. Who can doubt that it was miracu- 
lous healing which the apostles here effected, and of 
which they spoke ? But where is even the insinuation 
of its sacramental character ? "Where is the prescription 
as to the kind of oil ? Where is it said that the oil 
must be blessed — or if it must be blessed, where is it 
written that the blessing must be episcopal ? Maldonat, 
the Jesuit writer, contends that the text teaches the 
institution of the sacrament. Dens, however, seems to 
have doubted that this passage is favorable to the 
Church, for he says in answer to the question : " When 
did Christ institute this sacrament V " The time is uncer- 
tain, yet it is very likely that he instituted it after his 
resurrection, during the forty days in which he conversed 
with his disciples concerning the kingdom of Gcd and 
the affairs of the Church." But the chief foundation 
upon which Roman Catholics build their opinions 
of Extreme Unction is the passage in James. Let us 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS. 



341 



then see whether the foundation is secure ? Observe- 
then — First That the object of Extreme Unction 
in the Catholic Church is the purging away the 
remains of sin. That the object of St. James' anointing 
was to restore to health. Second. That the doctrine of 
the Church of Rome is, that the sacrament saves. That 
the doctrine of St. James is, that faith and prayer cave. 
Third. That the doctrine of the Church of Koine is, 
that one Priest should minister. That the doctrine of 
St. James is, that several were -to be engaged in the rite. 
Fourth. That the doctrine of the Church of Rome is, 
that the anointing is for sins. That St. James says, " if 
he be in sins," this then was not the primary cause of 
the anointing — sickness was the primary cause, but if 
the sickness had been produced by sin, or had followed 
sin as a judgment, it is intimated that not only should 
the sickness be removed, but the sins should be forgiven 
him. 

]STow let any Roman Catholic of candour and intelli- 
gence ask himself whether there is in this passage 
ground for the doctrine, that Extreme Unction is a 
sacrament appointed by Christ to be administered to 
the dying for the removal of the remains of sin ? And 
here let me merely add the interpretation of this passage 
by Cardinal Cajstan. " It neither appears by the words 
nor by the effect, that he speaks of the sacrament of 
Extreme Unction, but rather of that Unction which our 
Lord appointed in the Gospel, to be used upon sick 
persons by his disciples. For the text does not say is. 
any man sick unto death, but absolutely is any man 
sick. And it makes the effect to be the recovery of the 



342 



LECTURE VIII. 



sick, and speaks but conditionally of the forgiveness of 
sins. Whereas, Extreme Unction is not given, but 
when a man is almost at the point of death, and, as the 
form of words sufficiently shows, it tends directly to 
the forgiveness of sins." 

This has been a lengthened investigation, and it is 
more than time to bring it to a close, and to dismiss 
you to your homes. Yet I dare not allow you to retire 
without a brief appeal to you respecting the beautiful 
simplicity of the Gospel of Christ, and the absolute 
necessity of adhering closely to its precepts and instruc- 
tions, and of following as closely its ecclesiastical prac- 
tices. I am no bigot, I believe no ecclesiastical form to 
be essential to salvation ; but I say to every one of you 
who are seeking that gospel blessing, " Believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." I have 
seen no cause to alter an opinion which I advanced from 
this pulpit more than five years ago, and which I 
reiterate this evening. I say then to the Episcopalian, 
" Your Episcopalianism cannot save you ; I say to the 
Presbyterian, your Presbyterianism cannot save you ; 
I say to the Congregationalist, your Congregationalism 
cannot save you ; I say to the Methodist, your Methodism 
cannot save you ; and I will add, I say to my 
Roman Catholic friends, your Catholicism cannot 
save you ; And if you are trusting in any one 
of these forms of Christianity, if you suppose that 
either the one or the other will make you more accept- 
able to the Divine Being, you are labouring under a 
grievous delusion, and will find yourselves fearfully 
disappointed at the last What, if you have been 



THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENT. 343 

baptized in the name of the ever blessed Trinity, and 
have not a change of heart ! What, if yon have been 
confirmed, by episcopal hands, and are destitute of the 
grace of the Holy Ghost ! What, if the Priest has 
absolved yon, if yon are not freely justified by faith 
having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ! 
What, if you are in the habit of approaching the 
Eucharistic feast, and do not spiritually feed upon 
Christ Jesus the Lord ! What, if the Minister or the 
Priest should come to you in your last moments, and 
pray over you and give you the tokens of your Saviour's 
death, and after all you should die without the spiritual 
anointing, the unction of the Holy One ! What are 
Church forms, and Church orders, and Church claims, 
without Christ and his salvation wrought in the heart 
by the Holy Spirit! When? O, when will all 
sectarianism and bigotry cease to exist in the Christian 
Church ? When will the Churches of Christ begin to 
lose themselves in Him ? From every other object 
would I now lead you, and point you wholly to the 
Cross — from every other refuge but Him — from every 
other mode or place of cleansing but his adorable, his 
pierced side, which was opened as the fountain for sin 
and for uncleanness ! 

" Thy side an open fountain is, 
Where all may freely go, 
And drink the living stream of bliss, 
And wash them -white as snow." 



i 



LECTURE IX. 



PURGATORY. 



If there are any doctrines of religion for a knowledge 
of which we are entirely dependent upon revelation, 
they are those which relate to man's future existence. 
'We can gain much information of the nature and 
attributes of the Divine Being, from the glorious works 
of creation ; we can reason upon the evil of sin, from 
observation and experience of its effects ; sound philo- 
sophy may suggest principles of ethics, and remedies 
for immorality ; but gross absurdities have ever been 
the offspring of human conceptions and deductions, as 
to that unseen world to which every immortal spirit is 
journeying. How signally the ancient philosophers 
failed in their endeavours to pry into futurity, is patent 
to all who are but slightly acquainted with their 
writings or opinions. Indeed, whether there were in 
man any soul at all, whether death were not a state of 
eternal sleep, whether there were a Paradise and a 
hell, or whether these were the chimeras of a supersti- 
tious fancy, were doctrines concerning whose truth 
the Gentile world at least, and even the Jewish in some 
measure, wandered in uncertain and gloomy perplexity. 
All, all was dark until Christ came, shedding the 
brilliant light of truth over the darkness of the future — 
" bringing life and immortality to light by the Gospel." 



346 



LECTURE IX. 



Hitherto in these lectures we have discussed those 
doctrines of Christianity which concern us in this life. 
We have spoken of God's "Word, and of our obligation 
to read it ; of the Church, and its glorious and 
universal Head ; of man as a sinner, of Christ as a 
Saviour; of repentance and faith, of forgiveness and 
holiness ; of the institutions of Christianity. This 
evening we are to pass from these present scenes, we 
are to lift the vail which hides futurity from our vision, 
we are to leave this world for an hour or two, and are 
to enter the world that is unseen, the dark, dreary 
undefined regions of the departed dead ; we shall need 
a guide to direct us in our wanderings — let us not take 
man who is as ignorant as ourselves of the way, but 
The Spirit of God in His Word ; we shall need light 
to illumine our path, let us not follow the meteoric 
light of human speculation, but let us seize the torch of 
truth ; and so far as our guide will take us, and our 
torch will serve us, let us solemnly contemplate those 
future scenes whose reality, ere long, every one of us 
must experience. 

In the year 1813, several devout and charitable 
members of the Church of Rome in Dublin, formed 
themselves into a Society for the purpose of raising 
money to relieve themselves and their friends from 
Purgatory when they should go thither. The Society 
was designated by those who composed it, "The 
Purgatorian Society," and its rules were printed and 
published in a circular, by J. Coyne, Printer, *74 Cook 
Street, Dublin. The heading of the Circular is as 
follows : " Purgatorian Society, Instituted July 1st, 



PURGATORY. 



347 



1813, and held in St. James' Chapel. In the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ' It is 
therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the 
dead that they may be loosed from their sins.' 
Maccabees, chap, xii, ver. 46." 

The Second Rule reads thus : " Every well disposed 
Catholic wishing to contribute to the relief of the 
suffering souls in Purgatory shall pay one penny per 
week, which shall be appropriated to the procuring of 
masses to be offered up for the repose of the souls of 
the deceased parents, relations, and friends of all the 
subscribers to the Institution in particular, and the 
faithful departed in general." 

The Sixth Rule is as follows : " The spiritual 
benefits of this Institution shall be conferred in the 
following manner, viz : Each subscriber shall be 
entitled to an office at the time of their death, another 
at the expiration of a month, and one at the end of 
twelve months after their decease." 

The Seventh Rule makes the following provision : 
" Every subscriber without distinction shall be -entitled 
to the benefit of one mass each, provided that such 
member or subscriber shall die a natural death, be six 
months a subscriber to the Institution, and be clear of 
all dues akthe time of their departure." 

In London a similar Society was. formed as early as 
1810. From its rules the following are transcribed ; 

" All monies acquired by this charity shall be destined 
to provide that the Holy Sacrifice of the mass be offered 
for the intentions of the Society, and for the support of 
the schools. At the death of any member, mass shall 



348 



LECTURE IX. 



be said three times for the repose of his soul. A 
member may enter the names of his departed friends in 
the books of the Society, and such deceased persons 
shall be deemed members of the same, and partake of 
its spiritual advantages so long as their subscriptions 
continue to be paid-- 
in the Catholic Directory for 1851, at page 28, there 
is an appeal for the Gravesend Mission, in which is 
asked " five shillings from two to three thousand good 
Catholics." It is added, " that for the pious intentions 
of those who thus either contribute or collect, the holy 
mass will be offered every Monday, at 8 o'clock, which 
may be applied to their deceased friends." At page 
132 of the same Directory, we find an appeal on behalf 
of " the Asylum of the good Samaritan, Hammer- 
smith," to which the following announcement is ap- 
pended : " Subscriptions will be thankfully received by 
His. Eminence, Cardinal Wiseman, 35 Golden Square." 
It is added : " Benefactors living and deceased, 
participate in the stated masses, communions, and other 
prayers of the community and penitents, offered up in 
behalf of all those who assist them with the means of 
carrying out their holy undertaking. Cast off clothes, 
bonnets, <fec, are earnestly requested to fit the penitents 
out for service." 

The grave subject involved in these extracts is that 
which we have proposed for this evening's considera- 
tion : Purgatory ; — and the words which I have 
selected as a text you will find in the seventh chapter 
of the Apocalypse, at the fourteenth and fifteenth 
verses : 



PURGATORY. 



349 



" And I said to him : My Lord, thou knowest. 
And he said to me : These are they who are come 
out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
robes and have made them white in the blood of 
the Lamb. 

" Therefore they are before the throne of God, 
and they serve him day and night in his temple i 

AND He, THAT SITTETH ON THE THRONE, SHALL DWELL 

over them." 

i. i shall first describe to you the protestant 
Purgatory : — 

Protestants have a purgatory. The word, as many 
of you know,, is derived from a Latin word, which 
signifies to purge, to cleanse. The Protestant doctrine 
is, that " the blood of Jesus Christ, the son of God, 
cleanseth us from all sin." This is the Protestant 
purgatory — and though we cannot say, because we do 
not believe it, that a fire has been kindled for sin and 
for uncleanness ; yet we do say, with adoring gratitude, 
that a fountain has been opened for sin and for un- 
cleanness. Yes, many a Protestant has rejoiced to 
sing— 

" There is a fountain filled with blood, 
" Drawn from Immanuel's veins ; 
" And sinners plunged beneath that flood, 
" Lose all their guilty stains." 

The Protestant doctrine is, that all the guilt and all the 
pollution of the sin of believers are cancelled and 
removed in this world, and that when once the redeemed 
have passed into the invisible state, there remaineth no 
Q 



350 



LEG TUBE IX. 



more sacrifice and satisfaction for sin ; — that all the 
purgation, or cleansing, or purifying is effected here, and 
that upon the departure of the sanctified and saved 
spirit from the realms of time, there is an immediate 
introduction into the presence of Christ , that though it 
may not be doubted that after the resurrection, and 
consequent reunion of the sanctified spirits and glorified 
bodies of the saints, their happiness will be greatly 
augmented, yet that even now they are in a state of 
perfect bliss in the presence of the Lord. As to the 
wicked, those namely who die in sins, the Protestant 
belief is, that though after their bodies shall have been 
raised, their misery will be increased, their souls im- 
mediately after death depart to a state of conscious 
punishment, of which there can be no alleviation through- 
out the ages of eternity. 

II. The Roman Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory 
having been greatly misconceived and misunderstood 
by the generality of Protestants, it is most' desirable that 
its several parts or articles should be clearly enunciated. 
The fathers of the Council of Trent asserted the doctrine 
of Purgatory in the following decree : " Since the 
Catholic church, instructed by the Holy Spirit, through 
the sacred writings and the ancient tradition of the 
fathers, hath taught in holy councils, and lastly in this 
oecumenical council, that there is a purgatory, and that 
the souls detained there are assisted by the suffrages of 
the faithful, but especially by the acceptable sacrifice of 
the mass ; this holy council commands all bishops 
diligently to endeavour that the wholesome doctrine of 
purgatory, delivered to us by venerable fathers and holy 



PURGATORY. 



351 



councils, be believed and held by Christ's faithful, and 
everywhere taught and preached. Let difficult and 
subtle questions, which tend not to edification, and from 
which commonly religion derives no advantage, be 
banished from popular discourses, particularly when 
addressed to the ignorant multitude. Let such as are 
of doubtful character, or seem to border upon error, be 
prevented from being published and discussed. Let 
those which promote mere curiosity, or superstition, or 
savour of filthy lucre, be prohibited, as scandalous and 
offensive to Christians. Let the bishops take care that 
the suffrages of the living faithful — viz., masses, prayers, 
alms, and other works of piety, which the faithful have 
been accustomed to perform for departed believers — be 
piously and religiously rendered, according to the insti- 
tutes of the church ; and whatever services are due to 
the dead, through the endowments of deceased persons, 
or in any other way, let them not be performed slightly, 
but diligently and carefully, by the priests and ministers 
of the church, and all others to whom the duty be- 
longs." In the sixth Session of the Council, at the 
thirtieth canon, it is said : " Whoever shall affirm, that 
when the grace of justification is received, the offence of 
the penitent sinner is so forgiven, and the sentence of 
eternal punishment reversed, that there remains no 
temporal punishment to be endured, before his entrance 
into the kingdom of heaven, either in this world, or in 
the future state, in purgatory : let him be accursed." 
The second chapter of the twenty-second Session, declares : 
" Wherefore it (the mass) is properly offered, according 
to apostolic tradition, not only for the sins, punishments, 



352 



LECTURE IX. 



satisfactions, and other necessities of living believers } 
but also for the dead in Christ, who are not yet 
thoroughly purified." And the third canon of the 
same Session issues its anathema upon all "who 
" shall affirm, that the sacrifice of the mass is only a 
service of praise and thanksgiving, or a bare commemo- 
ration of the sacrifice made on the cross, and not a pro- 
pitiatory offering ; or that it only benefits him who 
receives it, and ought not to be offered for the living 
and the dead, for sins, punishments, satisfactions, and 
other necessities." 

In the Douay Catechism we find the following expo- 
sition of the doctrine : " Whither go such as die in 
mortal sin ? To hell, to all eternity. Whither go such 
as die in venial sin, or not having fully satisfied for the 
punishment due to their mortal sins ? To purgatory, 
till they have made full satisfaction for them, and then 
to heaven." The Catechism of the Council of Trent, 
maintaining the same caution which is so evident in 
the articles and canons, gives the following view : " In 
the fire of purgatory the souls of just men are cleansed 
by a temporary punishment, in order to be admitted 
into their eternal country into which nothing defiled 
entereth." 

In the " grounds of Catholic doctrine" there is a full 
exposition of the tenet, and a defence of it set forth on 
the ground of Scripture, tradition, and reason. " Q. 
What do you mean by Purgatory? A. A middle 
state of souls, who depart this life in God's grace, yet 
not without some lesser stains of guilt or punishment, 
which retard them from entering heaven. But as to 



PURGATORY. 



353 



the particular place where these souls suffer, or the 
quality of the torments which they suffer, the church 
has decided nothing. Q. What sort of christians then 
go to Purgatory ? A. 1st, Such as die guilty of lesser 
sins, which we commonly call venial ; as many christ- 
ians do, who either by sudden death or otherwise, are 
taken out of this life before they have repented for these 
ordinary failings. 2ndly, Such as have been formerly 
guilty of greater sins, and have not made full satisfac- 
tion for them to divine justice. Q. Why do you say 
that those who die guilty of lesser sins go to Purgatory ? 
A. Because such as depart this life before they have 
repented for these venial frailties and imperfections, 
cannot be supposed to be condemned to the eternal 
torments of hell, since the sins of which they are guilty 
are but small, which even God's best servants are more 
or less liable to. — Nor can they go straight to heaven in 
this state, because the scripture assures us, Apocalypse, 
21. v. 27 : " There shall not enter into it any thing 
defiled." Now every sin, be it ever so small, certainly 
defileth the soul : hence our Saviour assures us, that we 
are to render an account for every idle word, Matt. 12. 
v. 6. 

From these various authoritative sources we deduce 
the following articles of Roman Catholic belief : 

First, — That all persons who die in mortal sin, are 
immediately consigned to the everlasting punishment of 
hell, from which there can be neither deliverance nor 
relief. — It is necessary, however, to note that in all 
cases in which priestly absolution is secured immediately 
before death, there is an entire deliverance from the 



354 



LECTURE IX. 



guilt and punishment of mortal sin. Every one, there- 
fore, who dies receiving the rites of the Church is 
positively delivered from hell, and is consigned, for a 
season merely, to the regions of purgatory. 

Second, — That eternal punishment for sin is to be 
distinguished from the temporal punishment due to our 
offences, and that the children of God are not delivered 
from this temporal punishment but by rendering personal 
satisfaction both in this world and in the next. 

Third, — That this satisfaction is in the present state 
rendered by penances, masses, self-inflictions, prayers, 
fastings, charities, and the like, and in 'the future, by 
personal punishment in the fires of purgatory. 

Fourth, — That the offering of masses is accepted by 
the Divine Being, in lieu of this purgatorial punishment, 
which is shortened in proportion to the number of 
masses which may be said or offered. 

Fifth, — That these masses must be purchased by all 
classes, so that it is much easier for the rich to escape 
from purgatorial punishment than the poor. 

It is not, however, to be supposed that the doctrines 
of our Roman Catholic , friends respecting purgatory are 
confined to the views which we have now announced. 
It will be well, therefore, that we ascertain the opinions 
of her most eminent champions and divines on this 
mysterious subject. 

Milner, in his " End of Controversy," gives it as his 
opinion that " Abraham's bosom," to which Lazarus was 
carried by angels, is purgatory. 

Cardinal Bellarmine defines its position, and tells us 
(works, vol. ii., book ii., chapter ii., page 406,) that the 



PURGATORY. 



355 



situation of purgatory in which souls are cleansed, is 
adjacent to that in which the damned are punished, and 
that it is a subterranean place. Dens, following the 
Cardinal's view, states that " purgatory is situated 
under the earth contiguous to hell." Bellarmine says 
again : " almost all theologians teach that the damned 
and the souls in purgatory are in the same place, and 
tortured in the same fire." 

But the Cardinal goes farther ; he lifts the vail, and 
presents a series of illustrations, which, considering that 
he was a man of acknowledged talents and erudition, it 
will be well for us to contemplate, the more so, since 
they represent the popular Roman Catholic view of this 
mysterious state. 

1. The ^rsi illustration is taken by Bellarmine from 
the venerable Bede : " A pious father of a family in 
Northumberland, died after a long illness, in the early 
part of one night ; but to the great terror of those who 
watched by the body, came to life again at the dawn of 
the following day. All, but his faithful and affectionate 
wife, fled at the sight of him, and to her he communi- 
cated in the most soothing terms, the peculiar circum- 
stances of his case ; that he had indeed been dead, but 
was permitted to live again upon earth, though by no 
means in the same manner as before. In short, he sold 
all his property, divided the produce equally between his 
wife, his children, and the poor ; and then retired to the 
Abbey of Melrose ; he there lived in such a state of 
unexampled mortification, as made it quite evident, even 
if he had not said a word on the subject, that he had 
seen things, whatever was the nature of them, which no 



356 



LECTURE IX. 



one else had "been permitted to behold. He subsequently 
revealed some things that he saw : 1 One,' said the old 
man, ' whose aspect was as of light, and his garment 
glistening, conducted me to a valley of great depth and 
width, but of immeasurable length ; one side of 
which was dreadful beyond expression for its burning 
heat, and the other as horrible for its no less intolerable 
cold. Both were filled with souls of men, which seemed 
to be tossed as by the fury of a tempest, from one side 
to the other, for being quite unable to endure the heat 
on the right hand, the miserable wretches kept throwing 
themselves to the opposite side into the equal torment of 
cold, thence back again into the raging flames. This, 
thought I to myself, must be hell ; but my guide 
answered to my thought that it was not so. ' This valley,' 
says he, ' is the place of torment for the souls of those 
who, after delaying to confess and expiate their sins, 
have at length, in articulo mortis, had recourse to 
penance, and so have died ; these at the day of judgment 
will be admitted into the kingdom of heaven by reason 
of their confession and penance, late as it was; but 
meanwhile many of them may be assisted and liberated 
before that day, by the prayers, alms and fastings of 
the living, particularly by the sacrifice of the mass.' " 
It is to be observed that this is not regarded by 
Bellarmine as a fabulous invention ; he tells us that he 
gives full credit to the story, which he further says, is 
calculated to edify the faithful. 

2. This, however, does not equal the second illustra- 
tion which the Cardinal supplies from the life of Saint 
Christina, by Cantepratensis, an author, he informs us, 



PURGATORY. 357 

of high repute. The Saint died, and afterward returned 
to life ; and in the presence of many witnesses spoke 
the following words : " Immediately as I departed from 
the body, my soul was received by ministers of light 
and angels of God, and conducted to a dark and horrid 
place, filled with the souls of men. The torments 
which I there witnessed, are so dreadful, that to attempt 
to describe them would be utterly vain ; and there I 
beheld not a few who had been known to me while 
alive. Greatly concerned for their hopeless state, I 
asked what place it was, thinking it was hell ; but I was 
told that it was purgatory, where are kept those, who in 
their life had repented indeed of their sins, but had not 
paid the punishment due for them. I was next taken 
to see the torments of hell, where also I recognized some 
of my former acquaintance upon earth. Afterwards, I 
was translated to Paradise, even to the throne of the 
Divine Majesty; and when I saw the Lord congratulat- 
ing me, I was beyond measure rejoiced, concluding of 
course, that I should henceforward dwell with him for 
evermore. But he presently said to me — 4 In very 
deed, my sweetest daughter, here you shall be with me ; 
but for the present ; I offer you your choice : "Will you 
stay for ever with me now ? or will you return to the 
earth, and there in your mortal body, but without any 
detriment to it, endure punishment, by which you may 
deliver out of purgatory, all those whose souls you so 
much pitied, and may also, by the sight of your pen- 
nance, and the example of your life, be a means of 
converting to me some who are yet alive in the body, 
and so come again to me at last, with a great increase of 
q2 



358 



LECTURE JX 



your merits V I accepted without hesitation the return 
to life on the conditions j3roposed, and the Lord, con- 
gratulating me on the promptitude of my obedience, 
ordered that my body should be restored to me. And 
here, I had an opportunity of admiring the incredible 
celerity of the blessed spirits ; for in that very hour, 
having been placed before the throne of God at the first 
recital of the Agnus Dei in the mass which was said 
for me, at the third (recital) my body was restored." 
Cantepratensis then relates, that during her second life, 
" she walked into burning ovens, and though she Was so 
tortured by the flames, that her anguish extorted from 
her the most horrible cries, }^et when she came out, 
there was not a trace of any burning to be detected on 
her body. Again, during a hard frost, she would go 
and place herself under the frozen surface of a river for 
six days and more at a time. Sometimes she would be 
carried round by a water wheel and having been whirled 
round in an horrible manner, she was as whole in body 
as if nothing had happened to her ; not a limb was 
hurt. At other' times she would make all the dogs in 
the town fall upon her, and would run before them like 
a hunted beast ; and yet, in spite of being torn by thorns 
and brambles, and worried and lacerated by dogs to 
such a degree that no part of her body escaped without 
wounds, there was not a weal nor scar to be seen." 
" Such," says this illustrious defender of the Church, " is 
the narrative of Cantepratensis, and-that he said nothing 
but truth is evident, not only from the confirmation 
given to his testimony by the Bishop and Cardinal of 
Vitriaco ; but because the thing spoke for itself. 



PURGATORY, 



It was quite plain that the body must have been endued 
with a divine virtue which could endure all that hers 
■endured without being damaged ; and this not for a few 
days, but for forty-two years, during which she continued 
■■alive after her resurrection. But still more manifest 
does this become from the many sinners whom she 
brought to penitence, and from the miracles after her 
death, by which she was distinguished, for God deter- 
mined to stop the mouth of unbelievers." 

3. I cannot withhold from you a third illustration 
•from this eminent writer. He is speaking of the 
possible duration of the pains of purgatory, and gives in 
proof a quotation from a life, by the same author, 
of a distinguished Roman Catholic female, Ludgardis : 
*' About this time, Pope Innocent HI., after. having held 
the Lateran council, departed out of this life, and shortly 
afterwards appeared to Ludgardis. She, as soon as she 
beheld him encircled with a vast flame, demanded who 
lie was ; and on his answering that he was Pope In- 
nocent, exclaimed with a groan, ' What can this be ? 
how is it that the common father of us all is thus 
tormented V i The reasons of my suffering thus,' he 
answered; ' are three in number ; and they would have 
■•consigned me to eternal punishments, had I not, through 
the intercession of the most pious mother of God, to 
whom I founded a monastry, repented, when in extremis. 
As it is, though I am spared eternal suffering, yet I shall 
be tortured in the most horrible manner to the day of 
judgment ; and that I am now permitted to come and 
pray for your suffrages, is a boon, which the mother of 
mercy has obtained for me from her Son.' With these 



LECTURE IX. 



words he disappeared. Ludgardis not only communi- 
cated to her holy sisters the sad necessity to which the 
Pope was reduced in order to obtain their succour, but 
she also, herself, submitted to astonishing torments on 
his account." And the author adds, " The reader must 
understand, that Ludgardis, herself, revealed to me the 
three causes of the Pope's sufferings; but I forbear to 
disclose them, out of reverence to so great a Pontiff." 
"This instance," says Cardinal Bellarmine, "always 
affects me with the greatest terror. For if a Pontiff, 
entitled to so much praise, one, who to all human 
observation was not merely a man of integrity and 
prudence, but of eminent, nay, most exemplary sanctity 
— if even he so narrowly escaped hell, and, as it is, must 
suffer the most excruciating torments till the day of 
judgment, what prelate is there, who does not tremble ? 
Who does not scrutinise the secrets of his own consci- 
ence, with the most unsparing rigour ? For I cannot 
easily persuade myself, that- so great a pontiff could have 
been capable of committing deadly sins, unless he was 
deceived, under some semblance of good, by flatterers 
and relatives, of whom the gospel says, 1 a man's foes 
shall be of his own household.' " 

4. I shall close these illustrations with an extract, 
from O'Sullivan's Compendium of the Catholic history 
of Ireland, a work printed cum facultate sanctae inquisi- 
tionis et regis, and authorised by Cardinals, Archbishops, 
and Bishops. The extract contains a picture of the 
purgatory of St. Patrick : " There were numbers of 
men which no arithmetic could number, all lying on 
the ground, pierced through the body. They uttered 



PURGATORY. 



361 



hoarse cries of agony, their tongues cleaving to their 
jaws. They were buffeted by violent tempests, and 
shattered by repeated blows of devils. The devils drove 
them into another plain, horrible with exquisite tortures. 
Some with iron chains about their necks and limbs T 
were suspended over the fires ; others were burned with 
red hot cinders. JSTot sl few were transfixed with spits 
and roasted, melting metal being poured into them." 
Alas for those," it is added, " who do not penance in 
this world !" 

These illustrations have been given thus minutely 
and at length, for the purpose of conveying to your 
minds the popular Roman Catholic idea respecting 
purgatory. It would be possible to add other illustrations 
equally appalling and equally authentic, but I forbear. 
What you have now heard will suffice to inform you 
what purgatory is, and without a single argument from 
me, they have, I am sure, already convinced you of the 
unscripturalness of the doctrine. Since, however. 
Scripture proof, in its support, is advanced by our 
Roman Catholic friends, we must not shrink from a 
scriptural investigation of the whole subject. With 
this 'view we shall adopt the course which has been 
pursued in former lectures. 

First, then, we protest against the Roman Catholic 
doctrine of purgatory, on the authority of the Word of 
God, and in support of the protest shall advance three 
classes of texts : 

First, and briefly, those which speak of the perfect 
satisfaction which Christ, our divine Redeemer, has 
presented to the Father for our sins. In the gospel by 



362 



LECTURE IX. 



St. John, xix. 30, the blessed Saviour is represented as 
exclaiming with his dying breath : " It is consum- 
mated." What means this last utterance of the Son of 
God upon the cross, but that he was then paying, by 
his expiring act, our full debt and penalty ? but that he 
was then presenting upon this holy altar of the cross, a 
sufficient oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the 
whole world ? In the ninth chapter of St. Paul's epistle 
to the Hebrews, at the twenty-sixth verse, the apostle 
declares : that " now once at the end of the ages, 
Christ hath appeared for the destruction of sin by the 
sacrifice of himself :" What need then of further de- 
struction, or further sacrifice ? He says again in a 
following verse : " Christ was once offered to exhaust 
the sins of many." If, therefore, the sins of the world 
are exhausted by Christ's sacrifice, what additional 
process is necessary ? Can our sins be more than 
exhausted ? And if exhausted, are not their demerit 
and punishment exhausted too ? I know not what im- 
pression these passages may have had upon the minds 
of my hearers, but to me, they appear sufficient to over- 
throw the doctrine that human satisfactions, and self- 
tortures, and masses, and purgatorial punishments, are 
required by God to be added to the infinite satisfaction 
of Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

The second class of passages which I adduce, are 
those which assert the entire removal, in this life, from 
the soul of the believer in Christ, of all the guilt and all 
the pollution of sin. 

How clear on this subject is the language of Paul in 
his epistle to the Romans, (viii. 1.): "There is now 



PURGATORY. 



363 



therefore no condemnation to thern that are in Christ 
Jesus ;" but the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church 
is, that there is condemnation to the Christian, for does 
not purgatorial fire, which, in some cases, is endured 
for years, imply condemnation ? Let us hear the apostle 
further : In his first epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 
v. verse 28, he prays : " May the God of peace himself 
sanctify you in all things ; that your whole spirit, and 
soul and body be preserved blameless in the coming of 
our Lord Jesus Christ." Is it conceivable that the 
sanctified in all things, i. e. in spirit, in soul, and in 
body, should be lashed in purgatory for ages ? And 
now, listen to the language of St. John, in his first 
epistle : " But if we walk in the light, as he also is in 
the light, we have fellowship one with another, and 
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all 
sin. If we say that we have no sin; we deceive our- 
selves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our 
sins ; he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and 
to cleanse us from all iniquity." Where then is the 
necessity for fire ? What other purgatorial process 
does the believer need ? What after-process, when the 
precious blood of the Redeemer has cleansed him from 
all sin ? Look also at the text : What had purged the 
saints in white raiment, whom John saw in vision before 
the throne ] Was it fire ? No, no ! but, the blood 
of the Lamb. Are not these passages of themselves 
sufficient to sustain the Reformed Protest ? I put it to 
every intelligent Roman Catholic, whether, if the doc- 
trine of purgatory is a scriptural doctrine, these passages 
could have found a place on the page of inspiration. 



364 



LECTURE IX. 



There is yet a third class of passages by which this 
protest is maintained, and to which I especially call your 
attention, those, namely, which speak of the present 
blessedness of the righteous dead. 

The first Scripture of this class which I quote in support 
of the Protestant view, notwithstanding that it is one of 
Dr. Milner's proof of the existence of purgatory, is that 
which describes the state of Lazarus — the same Lazarus 
who sat at the rich man's gate, and who at death was 
carried by angels into Abraham's bosom. Of him 
Abraham is represented as declaring, " ISTow he is 
comforted." Could this be said of a purgatorial state, 
such as that which St. Patrick or St. Christina describes, 
or such even as the Council of Florence, or the 
Catechism of the Council of Trent sets forth for the 
belief of "the faithful?" Again: How could Paul 
desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ? How 
could he speak of the gain of dying with such a purga- 
tory before him as Pope Innocent the Third is said to 
have sufTered ? With how little truth, if the doctrine of 
purgatory is an article of Christian faith, could the 
angel say, " Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord ?" 
Where, what is the blessedness of purgatory ? " From 
henceforth now saith the Spirit that they may rest from 
their labours." — What rest does purgatory afford to 
the righteous departed ? I cannot here withold from 
you an incident which occurred in London a few years 
ago, and which bespeaks the simple power of this beau- 
tiful text : An eminent Protestant minister delivered in 
Poplar, near London, a lecture on the errors of the 
Roman Catholic Church. Some hundreds of Roman 



PURGATORY. 



365 



Catholics were present, some of them listening with 
evident anxiety, and others interrupting with contemp- 
tuous sneers. The minister spoke to the people upon 
the uncomfortableness (to say the least of it) of the 
doctrine of purgatory, and shewed them the contradiction 
between this peculiar principle of Roman Catholicism, 
and the express and declared mind of the Spirit of God, 
A lady present noted down the texts which were adduced 
and some of the arguments which were urged. Some- 
times a smile played upon her face, at other times a 
sneer was observed, and occasionally the pencil dropped 
and her eyes were fixed upon the floor. The clergyman 
gave a second lecture, which the lady also attended, 
After he had spoken a little, the pencil was laid down, 
her eye was fixed on him, and her ear seemed to 
drink in every word. At the close of the lecture she 
handed to the speaker a slip of paper, requesting an 
interview, which was immediately granted. As soon as 
they met, she said to the clergyman : " I have been a 
devoted member of the Roman Catholic Chapel at 
Poplar ; the priest is my intimate friend, and the god- 
father of my boy ; I was to play the new organ when it 
was put up ; I have gone regularly to mass and to con- 
fession, and have been regarded as one of the elite, of 
the communion ; but after considering carefully and 
prayerfully what I have heard in your two lectures, I 
dare no longer to remain a Roman Catholic." She told 
the clergyman at the same time, that when she saw the 
placard announcing the meeting, she informed the 
priest that a notorious firebrand was coming to Poplar. 
The priest did not wish to take any notice of the matter, 



366 



LECTURE IX. 



but on her -urging the expediency of his being made 
acquainted with what should be said, he agreed that she 
had better go and take notes of the lecture. She did 
so, as we have seen, and wrote hirn a letter immediately ; 
telling him there was to be another lecture, and that he 
must come and answer it, or the Roman Catholics in 
Poplar would all turn Protestants. The priest returned 
no answer to this suggestion, and she then wrote to 
another priest in the neighbourhood, Dr. Butler, but he 
also took no notice of her communication. The second 
lecture confirmed the impression of the first, and she 
resolved to renounce for ever the Roman Catholic 
communion. The clergyman who had lectured asked 
her what points in his statements struck her most forci- 
bly, and so rapidly alienated her affections from her 
Church. She said, it was not so much the argument as 
the texts. One of these texts, she said, fell like a sun- 
beam from heaven, and unveiled to her hopes and pros- 
pects to which, previously, she had been an utter 
stranger ; and that text was " Blessed are the dead 

THAT DIE IN THE LORD ; YEA SAITH THE SPIRIT THAT 

they may" — not suffer in purgatory, but — " rest from 
their labours." She told him that she felt this most 
acutely, because she had been formerly laid upon a sick 
bed, and her medical attendant had given up all hope, 
and told her there was no chance of recovery ; she sent 
for an aged priest from a neighbouring place to admin- 
ister the sacrament of Extreme Unction. On receiving 
it, she asked him, " Am I now safe, ?" to which he 
replied, " I can pledge my own safety that you are." 
u But," added she, " have I not to pass through purga- 



PURGATORr. 



367 



toiy " " Unquestionably," said the priest. " Then tell 
me, as a dying woman, what is the nature of the 
purgatory that I have to experience V The priest, 
with great solemnity, and, if his creed were right, with 
great truth replied, " Purgatory, my dear child, is a 
place where you will have to suffer the torments of the 
damned, only of shorter duration." She said every 
nerve tingled with agony at the announcement. But 
when the text which the Protestant minister illustrated 
in his lecture, came upon her ear and reached her heart, 
declaring that the dead in Christ rest ; and again that 
to be " absent from the body" is to be " present with 
the Lord," she felt that either the priest must be wrong 
and the Bible true, or the Bible must be false if purga- 
tory be true. 

The passages which I have adduced are but few ; 
there are o1 hers in this blessed Bible were it needful to 
multiply evidence, but I ask my Roman Catholic friends 
whether those which I have quoted concerning the 
infinite satisfaction of Christ's atonement, concerning 
the efficacy of the precious blood of Christ to cleanse 
from all sin, concerning the immediate bliss of the 
departed faithful, do not constitute a mass of proof 
against the purgatorial system of their Church, 
sufficient to overthrow its claims, to allay their fears, 
and to save that oftentimes ruinous expenditure of 
money which it involves. — " Blessed are the Dead 
who die in the Lord." 

But I must not, neither would I, overlook those 
passages of Scripture by which this favorite doctrine of 
the Roman Catholic Clergy is sought to be defended. 



368 



LECTURE IX* 



As formerly, I shall take these passages from the Doua? 
Bible, and shall adopt the selection of Dr. Milner in his 
" End of Controversy." : 

" To come now to the New Testament : what place, 
I ask, must that be, which our Saviour calls Abraham's 
bosom, where the soul of Lazarus reposed, Luke xvi. 22, 
among the other just souls, till he by his sacred passion 
paid their ransom ? Not heaven, otherwise Dives 
would have addressed himself to God instead of 
Abraham ; but evidently a middle state, as St. Austin 
teaches. Again, of what place is it that St. Peter 
speaks, where he says, Christ died for our sins ; being 
put to death in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit ; in 
which also coming, he preached to those spirits that were 
in prison. 1 Pet. iii. 19. It is evidently the same 
which' is mentioned in the apostle's creed : He 
descended into hell : not the hell of the damned, to 
suffer their torments, as the blasphemer, Calvin, asserts, 
but the prison above-mentioned, or Abraham's bosGm, 
in short, a middle state. It is of this prison, according 
to the holy fathers, our blessed Master speaks, where 
he says, / tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till 
thou hast paid the very last mite. Luke xii. 59. 
Lastly, what other sense can that passage of St. Paul's 
Epistle to the Corinthians bear, than that which the 
holy fathers affix to it, where the apostle says, The day 
of the Lord shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall 
try every man's work of ivhat sort it is. Lf any man's 
work abide, he shall receive a reward. Lf any man's 
tvork be burnt, he shall suffer loss ; but he himself shall 
he saved, yet so as by fire. 1 Cor. iii. 13, 15. The 



FtRGATORT. 



369 



prelates diversified attempts to explain away these 
Scriptural proofs of purgatory, are really too feeble and 
inconsistent to merit being even mentioned. I might 
here add, as a further proof, the denunciation of Christ, 
concerning blasphemy against the Holy Ghost : namely, 
that this sin shall not be forgiven either in this world or 
in the world to come, Mat. xii. 32 : which words clearly 
imply, that some sins are forgiven in the world to come, 
as the ancient fathers show." 

(1.) The first passage is from Luke sixteenth chapter, 
and twenty-second verse, which speaks of the angelic 
conveyance of Lazarus, the beggar, to the bosom of 
Abraham. This, says Dr. Milner, is purgatory, an 
assertion which obliges us to believe that the " Father of 
the Faithful" existed in purgatory two thousand 
years, and that Abraham did not speak the truth to 
the suffering rich man when he said - now he is 
comforted, and thou art tormented." 

(2.) The second text which Dr. Milner quotes in this 
paragraph is that in the first epistle of Peter, ch. hi. v. 
19., where that apostle says, "Christ died for our sins, 
being put to death in the flesh, but enlivened in the 
spirit; in which also coming, He preached to those 
spirits that were in prison." This is a most unfortunate 
passage for the learned controvertist, for the antedilu- 
vian sinners died in mortal sin, they were disobedient 
to God and repented not — purgatory is for venial 
sins. How did Christ preach to those antediluvians ? 
through Noah the preacher of righteousness. How 
the Doctor could have violated his solemn vow, that he 
would interpret no passage of Scripture but by the 



310 



LECTURE IX, 



unanimous consent of the Fathers, is to me surprising; 
and we can hardly suppose him ignorant of their views 
of the passage. Augustine who strongly leaned to this 
doctrine of purgatory is against Milner here. " It may 
be," says this illustrious father and saint, " that the 
whole of St. Peter's statement concerning the spirits in 
prison, who believed not in the days of Noah, has no 
reference whatever to hell, (ad inferos,) but rather to 
those times of which he has transferred the example to 
our own." He had no idea whatever that Purgatory 
was taught by the passage. St. Jerome in his com- 
mentary on Isaiah (chapter liv.) observes that " Christ 
preached to the spirits in prison, when the patience 
of God waited in the days of Noah, bringing the flood 
upon the wicked." Thomas Aquinas, and the venerable 
Bede, give the same interpretation. 

(3) The third scripture which Dr. Milner adduces in 
confirmation 6f his views is Luke xii. 59 : "I tell thee 
thou shalt not depart thence till thou hast paid the very 
last mite." Bellarmine says, the mites or farthings 
are venial sins, the payment is human satisfaction, and 
the prison is purgatory. From the very face of the 
passage, it is clear that our great Teacher speaks of 
reconciliation with an offended brother, and of present 
and immediate reconciliation. " Be at agreement with 
thine adversary betimes." But even if we allow the 
passage to refer to a future life what doctrine could be 
gathered from it, but that the uttermost or very last 
farthing would never be paid ? The stress of the argu- 
ment is upon the word " until" and it is contended 
that it conveys the intimation that the last mite will be 



PURGATORY, 



371 



paid ; but this comes with an ill grace from our Roman 
Catholic friends when we remember their interpretation 
of the words in the first chapter of the Gospel by St. 
Matthew, " Till she brought forth her first born son." 
I will read the note from the Douay Bible : " Till she 
brought forth her first born son. — From these words 
Helvidius and other heretics most impiously inferred 
that the blessed Virgin Mary had other children besides 
Christ : But St. Jerome shews, by divers examples, that 
this expression of the Evangelist was a manner of 
speaking usual among the Hebreius, to denote by the 
word until, only what is done, without any regard to 
the future : Thus it is said, Gen. chap. viii. ver. 6 and 
7. That JYoe sent forth a raven, which went forth and 
did not return till the waters were dried up on the 
earth. That is, did not return any more. Also Isaias, 
chap. xlvi. ver. 4. God says : i" am till you grow old. 
Who dare infer that God should then cease to be I Also 
in the first book of Maccabees, chap. v. ver. 54. And 
they went up to Mount Sion with joy, and gladness, 
and offered holocausts, because not one of them- was slain 
till they had returned in peace. That is, not one was 
slain, before or after they had returned. — God saith to 
his divine Son : Sit on my right hand till I make thy 
enemies thy footstool. Shall he sit no longer after his 
enemies are subdued? Yea and for all eternity." 
Then again it is said, till thou hast paid, which greatly 
interferes with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic 
Church, that a man's friends, by a succession of masses, 
can pay these last farthings for him. Dr. Milner is not 
more fortunate in securing the consent of the fathers 



8T2 



LECTUHE IX. 



to his interpretation of this passage than to his inter- 
pretation of the former. St. Jerome says, " He is never 
released from prison who. does not pay the last farthing 
before the end of life." St. Chrysostom thus paraphrases 
the text : " Agree with thine adversary while thou art 
in the way with him, that is in this life, (ev r<oh rw Bt&>) 
for when the way is finished there is no longer time for 
repentance. Beware lest the adversary deliver thee to 
the judge, and the judge to the avenging powers, and 
thou be cast into prison, i. e. into outer darkness." Bede 
says, " ' until thou pay est ' is put for infinity." The 
clear sense of the passage, as well as its patristic inter- 
pretation, are against Dr. Milner. 

(4.) Another passage is advanced by the learned 
Doctor in proof of Purgatory, (1 Cor. hi. 13, 15,) I will 
read it : " Every man's work shall be manifest : for the 
day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be 
revealed in fire ; and the fire shall try every man's 
work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, 
which he hath built thereupon : he shall receive a 
reward. If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss : 
but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." Those 
who were present at the first lecture of this course, have 
not yet forgotten the manifold views of the fathers on 
this very passage. Before we speak particularly of 
these views, it will perhaps be well to look at the pas- 
sage itself. You observe then, (1st,) that the fire of 
which the Apostle speaks, is not purgatorial, but pro- 
batory. " The fire shall try, not purge or purify man's 
work. (2nd,) That the passage proves too much, for it 
says every man's work shall be tried. Now the doctrine 



PURGATORY, 



813 



of the Catholic Church, is that the wicked will not go 
to purgatory, and that baptized infants do not go to 
purgatory ; but every man's work will be tried by that 
fire of which Paul speaks. Therefore it is not, it cannot 
be purgatory, " Chrysostom and Theophylact," says 
Bellarrnine, " understand the apostle to speak of eternal 
fire." " Others" says the Cardinal, " understand the 
fire of the conflagration of the world." 

(5.) The last passage which Dr. Milner brings forward 
is Matthew xii. 32, it is that which contains the denuncia- 
tion of Christ concerning blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost, viz : that it " shall not be forgiven either in this 
world or in the world to come ;" which words he says, 
clearly imply that some sins are forgiven in the world to 
come. But, I ask, what has purgatory to do with 
forgiveness? Nothing whatever acccording to the 
Church of Rome. Forgiveness is granted in t?ds life ; 
such at least is the Catholic doctrine. But look for a 
moment at the illogical character of the Doctor's reason- 
ing. On the same principle you may argue that because 
it may be said the crime of murder will not be approved 
either in this world or in the world that is to come, 
some other crimes will be approved in the world 
to come. Cardinal Bellarrnine was candid enough to 
allow that the inference does not follow from the pre- 
mises, and therefore that any reasoning upon the 
passage for this purpose is altogether illogical. (" Non 
sequi secundum regulas dialecticorum") 

Although in my first lecture I clearly proved the non- 
canonical character of the Apocryphal books, and that 
£hey are therefore without authority in the establishment 

B 



LECTURE IX. 



of any doctrine, I do not feel disposed to avoid the 
consideration of that favorite text which our Roman 
Catholic friends adduce from 2 Maccabees, xii., 43. 
"And making a gathering, he sent twelve thousand 
drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered 
for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously 
concerning the resurrection." But I must first remind 
you of the authority which I then advanced for the 
rejection of the Apocrypha. I showed you that 
Eusebius, the most ancient historian of the Church, 
rejected the Apocrypha ; that Origen rejected it ; that 
the Council of Laodicea rejected all the books but 
Baruch ; and that St. Cyril and St. Athanasius followed 
the same course. I might have added then, but I do it 
now, that Pope Gregory the Great, the most illustrious 
of all Roman Catholic Pontiffs, rejected these two books 
of the Maccabees. And yet the Roman Catholic is the 
old religion ! Yet is it the unchangeable religion ! 
Yet is it the infallible religion ! Yet is it the apostolic 
religion ! Notwithstanding that St. Gregory, in the year 
590, rejects the authority of that book upon which the 
doctrine of purgatory chiefly rests ! 

Having said thus much, we will take our Roman 
Catholic friends upon their own ground, and will simply 
remind them, that those on whose behalf prayers are here 
said to be offered, died in idolatry, which is a mortal sin, 
and that therefore neither purgatory nor prayers could 
afford them relief, even on Roman Catholic principles. 

"We have thus examined the scriptural ground upon 
which purgatory rests. You have been conducted 
into a patient investigation of at least the strongest 



PURGATORY. 



375 



scriptural evidences which Roman Catholics themselves 
alledge, and I now ask with confidence, "What are 
they all V Where is this doctrine of purgatory ? It is 
not here ; the Word of God disavows it ; there is not 
left upon another one stone of the whole foundation 
upon which this mysterious and fiery fabric is constructed ; 
they lie scattered at our feet ; they are gone ! The 
glaring bubble is so attenuated and brittle that it cannot 
survive a scriptural handling ; the first touch of the word 
of God causes it to explode ! Where, I repeat, do you 
find the doctrine of purgatory ? Wherever else you 
find it, it is not in this Bible. 

Secondly. — Roman Catholics, in contending for the 
existence of purgatory, build much upon the practices 
and opinions of antiquity ; but notwithstanding this 
boast, we protest against the doctrine on the authority 
of the early fathers of the Church. 

Not that we deny the antiquity of the doctrine. 
Plato taught it in his day, and Virgil, the Latin poet, in 
the sixth book of the JEneid, furnishes a description of 
purgatory which so nearly resembles the relations fur- 
nished by Bellarmine, as to make it difficult to conceive 
that the moderns did not borrow from the ancient 
pagan poet. — 

" For this are various penances enjoined, 

And some are hung to bleach upon the wind — 

Some plunged in waters, others purged in fires, 

Till all the dregs are drained, and all the rust expires. 

All have their manes and those manes bear, 

The few so cleansed to those abodes repair, 

And breathe in ample fields the soft Elysian air, 



376 



LECTURE IX, 



Then are they happy, when by length of time 
The scurf is worn away of each committed crime ; 
]So speck is left of their habitual stains, 
But the pure ether of the soul remains." 

Dr. Milner refers to this extract, and says that it only 
shows how conformable the doctrine is to the dictates of 
natural religion ? He forgets that he might plead for 
the practices of idolatry, or indeed any other Heathen- 
ish custom, on the same ground. 

Our Roman Catholic friends, however, when they 
refer to antiquity, mean by this expression, the ancient 
Church of Christ. Now while we contend that there 
existed in the Church at a very early period, especially 
after the second century, many errors, and that many a 
theological vagary was entertained, we are yet prepared 
to maintain that the doctrine of purgatory was not 
known to the Christian Church for the first six centuries 
of its existence, nor even at the end of this period, in the 
sense in which it is now held by Roman Catholics. 
We readily admit, however, that some of the early 
practices and opinions of the Church prepared the way 
for the doctrine as it appeared in its full growth in the 
Councils of Florence and of Trent. 

We mention three : — 

First. — The practice of praying for the dead ; a prac- 
tice which commenced in the second century and which 
probably was introduced by converts from Paganism, 
who, before their conversion to Christianity, were not 
strangers to the rite. The notions which these ancient 
Christians entertained were, however, widely different 
from those purgatorial doctrines which obtain in the 



PURGATORY. 



311 



modern Roman Catholic Church. Their belief was as 
ours is, that the felicity of the saints is capable of 
augmentation even now, and that, at the day of resur- 
rection this augmentation will infallibly take place ; so 
they were wont to pray for all the departed saints with- 
out exception. Now though we do not believe that 
the scriptures furnish any warrant for such a practice, 
we can yet conceive of its being followed without the 
remotest idea of purgatorial punishment and satisfac- 
tion. Our Roman Catholic friends believe that the 
Virgin Mary never entered purgatory, that the apostles 
too escaped this fiery ordeal, and that martyrs also go im- 
mediately to heaven ; if then this is their belief, I have 
at hand an incontrovertible proof that praying for the 
dead did not involve the modern Roman Catholic notion 
of purgatory. What will our friends say to the follow- 
ing prayer taken out of the liturgy of St. Gregory : 
" Vouchsafe O Lord to be mindful of all the Saints who 
have pleased thee from the beginning ; of our Holy 
Fathers, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, Mar- 
tyrs, Confessors, and those who have published the Gos- 
pel to thy Church, and of all the spirits of the just, who 
having finished their course have departed in the faith . 
But especially of the Holy and Glorious ever Virgin 
Mother of God, and of Holy John, the forerunner, Bap- 
tist and Martyr, and Stephen, the first deacon and Pro- 
tomai'tyr, &c." Every one will immediately perceive the 
difference between praying thus for all the righteous 
dead, and praying that some of the righteous dead may 
speedily be delivered from the pains and flames of pur- 
gatory. To the same effect are the liturgies of St. Basil 



378 



LECTURE IX. 



and St. Chrysostom, in both of which the name of the 
Virgin Mary is introduced. 

Second. — An opinion of the early fathers which pre- 
pared the way for the doctrine of purgatory, and which 
many orthodox Christians still maintain, is that there is 
a separate state (Hades) for the spirits of the departed, 
where they exist in conscious happiness or misery until 
the resurrection, when their happiness or misery will be 
completed, according as they died in faith or impeni- 
tency. Tertullian in his treatise on the resurrection 
says, " No one when he departs out of the body dwells 
immediately with the Lord, except it be from the pre- 
rogative of martyrdom, but his abode will be in para- 
dise, not in hell." St. Augustine says, "The time which 
intervenes between a man's death and the last resurrec- 
tion, keeps souls in hidden receptacles, according as 
each is deserving of repose or sorrow, in consideration 
of that which it has obtained while living in the flesh." 
It will scarcely be affirmed that in this notion the doc- 
trine of purgatory is involved, for it is held in the present 
day by thousands who reject this Roman Catholic 
dogma. 

Third. — The opinion which prevailed, that at the day 
of judgment all believers, as well as sinners, including 
the Virgin Mary and Apostles, will have to undergo a 
prohatorial fire, prepared the way for the reception of 
the doctrine of an immediate purgatorial fire, but nei- 
ther of these doctrines is involved in the other. 

It is not for us, at this time at least, either to defend 
or to refute these opinions and practices of the Church 
in former ages; it is enough if we have shown that 



PURG-ATORY. 



tliey have no necessary connection with the doctrine of 
purgatory. 

And now I ask, could Ambrose have believed this 
doctrine while writing the following words : — " Death 
is a haven of rest, and makes not our condition worse ; 
but, according as it finds every man, so it reserves him 
to the judgment to come." Could Jerome be a believer 
in the doctrine while he penned the following consola- 
tory words to Marcella, on the death of Lea : " Instead 
of her short trouble, she is already in the enjoyment of 
eternal blessedness." And even as to Augustine, whose 
works are esteemed by Roman Catholics, the strong- 
hold of this doctrine, how loosely must he have held it, 
to have said " such a matter as a middle state for pur- 
gatory might be inquired into :" but he afterwards 
affirms : " We read of heaven and of hell ; but the 
third place we are utterly ignorant of ; yea, we find it 
is not in Scripture." Listen to St. Cyprian, speaking 
of departed brethren : " They should," says he, " be 
regretted, not mourned, nor should black garments be 
assumed here, since they have put on white robes 
there." But why should I multiply quotations, since 
Roman Catholic divines of the greatest eminence have 
acknowledged that there is no ground on which to plead 
the antiquity of the doctrine ? The celebrated Fisher in- 
forms us, " That in the ancient fathers there is either 
none at all, or very rare mention of purgatory : that, 
by the Grecians it is not believed to this day ; that the 
Latins, not all at once, but step by step received it ; 
that purgatory being so lately known, it is not to be 
wondered that in the first times of the Church, there 



380 



LECTURE IX. 



was no use of indulgences." Alphonsus de Castro is 
candid enough to say : " Many things are known to us 
of which the ancients were altogether ignorant, as pur- 
gatory, indulgences, &c." And Cardinal Cajetan is 
equally explicit : " We have not, by writing, any 
authority either of the Holy Scriptures or ancient doc- 
tors, Greek or Latin, which affords us any knowledge of 
purgatory." 

On how insecure a basis then does this doctrine of 
purgatory rest I The Scriptures are against it; the 
earlier fathers, with all their crude notions respecting a 
future state, are not in favour of it ; the more modern 
Confessors, Martyrs, Cardinals, Bishops, and Doctors 
rescind its claim to antiquity ; and yet it is held and 
maintained, by the authorities of the Roman Catholic 
Church, as a doctrine, the denial of which will bring 
down upon our heads the curse of God \ Because, 
Protestants deny, with Cardinal Cajetan, the authority 
of Scripture for this doctrine — the Council of Trent 
anathematizes us! Because Protestants follow the 
opinion of Cardinal Fisher, that purgatory is a doctrine 
lately known, the Council of Trent excludes us from 
salvation ! Is this charitable? Is it consistent? Is it 
Christian ? 

There is one view of the doctrine of purgatory which 
has always impressed me with its unsoundness ; and 
that is its utter inconsistency with the purposes of 
Divine grace. The gospel offers its blessings — ALL its 
blessings, without money and without price. Salvation 
is here declared to be by the free grace of God. In the 
Roman Catholic Church it is not without money and 



PURGATORY, 



381 



without price. Indulgences and masses are, if not 
ostensibly, yet really sold and purchased, and so salvation, 
at least in part, is made to depend, not upon the bound- 
less love of God, but upon the wealth of its members. 
Reason as you will, if relief from purgatory is to be 
obtained by charities and masses, the rich in the 
Roman Catholic Church have an advantage which is 
denied to the poor. How this doctrine is made to 
accord with the words of the Saviour, " How hardly 
shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of 
God," I have not discovered. In what a position are 
the Catholic poor placed by this doctrine of the 
Church ? Under what bondage must they groan, when 
they contemplate their prospects in the painful abodes 
of purgatory ? How deeply must they feel the disad- 
vantage of their poverty. Their rich brethren can pay 
for thousands of masses ; they can hardly pay for jive 
or perhaps one. Can you then wonder that when a 
poor and feeble Roman Catholic trudges our cities and 
towns begging for bread, that even from the scanty 
pittance which he obtains, he should lay aside a portion 
for the purpose of securing as many masses as possible 
for the welfare of his soul ? My Roman Catholic 
friends know that this is no uncommon occurrence. I 
met a few weeks ago with an instance of a poor infirm 
Roman Catholic who sought and procured alms from a 
member of my congregation, and who confessed that he 
had already in store several dollars, which he intended 
to devote to the saying of masses for the speedier 
deliverance of his soul from purgatory. I dare to say 
that I am speaking to many who have long felt this 
r2 



382 



LECTURE IX, 



bondage, the bondage induced by the conviction that 
poverty will be the occasion of their remaining in 
purgatory and suffering its dreaded pains longer than 
some of their richer brethren ! We solemnly protest 
against this doctrine, it is opposed to the genius of the 
Gospel— evangelical inconsistency is stamped upon its 
very face. Where do you find it in the New Testament ? 
Tell me in what cities the apostles and early ministers 
of the gospel established purgatorian societies ? Tell 
me in what apostolic epistle the members of the primi- 
tive Church are asked to contribute their money to save 
the souls of departed believers out of purgatory ? Give 
me one instance out of the New Testament in which 
Christians said masses to help the souls of Christ's 
people suffering in purgatory — and with this intention we 
will at once institute a daily mass in this Church, If I 
am addressing this evening one Roman Catholic who is 
so poor as not to be able to accomplish his wish in 
respect to the number of masses to be hereafter said for 
his soul, I would direct that misguided individual to the 
infinite satisfaction of Christ's sacrifice, to the infinite 
fountain of God's love, to the gracious promise of the 
gospel, " Whosoever will, let him take of the water of 
life freely," and to that blessed declaration which 
delivered from the bondage and fear of purgatory the 
Roman Catholic lady of Poplar, " Happy are the dead 
who die in the Lord." 

My dear hearers, Protestant and Catholic, let me 
exhibit to you this evening that gospel purgatory in 
which, without money and without price, you may be 
cleansed from all your sin : from its guilt, from its 



PURGATORY. 



383 



pollution ; that purgatory in which you may be delivered 
from its temporal and spiritual and eternal condemna- 
tion. You know to what I allude — not to fire — but to 
the purgatorial fountain of Christ's Blood. To this 
fountain would I lead you all. It has been opened for 
«in and for uncleanness ; it is still open — open for you — 
for all — -it flows from Calvary to every spot of our 
earth — ■ 

" Its streams the whole creation reach, 
So plenteous is the store, 
Enough for all, enough for each, 
Enough for evermore." 

I would take you by the hand this evening, I would lead 
you to the Cross of Christ, to his open bleeding side, to 
the very edge of this fountain, and I would implore you 
with all the guilt you have contracted and with all the 
stains of pollution, which defile your souls, to plunge by 
faith into its streams, and then, though your sins be as 
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be 
red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Oh cover 
yourselves with the cleansing blood of your Redeemer, 
and rise in life and purity. Thousands and myriads 
have already proved its efficacy. David, the backslider, 
washed in this fountain, and came out with a clean 
heart; — Peter who denied his Lord washed in it ; — Paul 
the chief of sinners bathed his guilty soul in its flowing 
streams ; — The four-and-twenty Elders who are before the 
throne plunged themselves here, and now the burden of 
their song is, " Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us 
unto God by thy blood ;" — The great multitude referred 
lo in the text, whom no man could number, whom John 



384 



LECTURE IX. 



saw standing before the throne and singing, " Salvation 
to our God and to the Lamb," passed through the same 
fountain, " washed their robes and made them white 
in the blood of the Lamb." Follow them ! There is no 
other way ; there is no other purgation. The satisfac- 
tion that you need is here, the cleansing that you need 
is here, the purity that you need is here. God help 
you to wash your robes and to make them white in this 
precious blood ! 

But though there is no purgatory after death there is 
a fearful, an eternal Hell, in which the worm dieth not 
and the fire is not quenched. Listen to the following 
passage from the Douay Bible : — " The fearful and 
unbelieving, and the abominable and murderers, and 
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, 
they shall have their portion in the pool burning with 
fire and brimstone, which is the second death." 

And there is a Heaven where now the souls of believ- 
ers dwell with Jesus. They are absent from the body, 
but are present with the Lord — happy, peaceful, at rest. 

" Far from a world of grief and sin, 
"With God eternally shut in." 

Perhaps they were poor, but now they hunger no 
more, they thirst no more ; — perhaps they were 
afflicted sufferers, but there is no more sickness, no more 
pain ; — perhaps they watered their couch with their 
tears, but God has wiped them all away. Into this 
heaven " There shall not enter anything defiled, or that 
worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are 
written in the Lamb's book of life." 



PURGATORY, 



385 



Whither then are you tending ? In which way are 
you walking ? In the way of holiness, or in the way of 
sin ? In the broad road that leadeth to destruction, or 
in the narrow way that leadeth unto life ? To hell with 
all its terrors, or to heaven with its endless joys ? Do 
you ask how you are to solve this problem ? Let me 
again demand, Have you forsaken your sins ? Have 
you repented ? Have you mourned in penitence before 
your God ? Have you gone to the Cross for salvation ? 
Have your hearts been changed by the Spirit of God ? 
Are you living in holiness and righteousness ? If not, 
be you Protestant or Catholic, you have no right to 
hope for heaven. You are hasting to destruction. Oh ! 
will you live and die in your sins ? Eemember, as the 
tree falls so it lies. " There is no work, nor device, nor 
knowledge, norrf wisdom, in the grave whither thou 
goest." Are you trembling before God on account of 
your sins and in prospect of hell, are you saying : 

" Shall I amidst a ghastly band, 
Dragged to the judgment seat, 
Far on the left with horror stand, 
My fearful doom to meet ?" 

Is this your language ? I reply : 

"Ah 1 no, you still may tarn and live, 
For still his wrath delays ; 
He now vouchsafes a kind reprieve, 
And offers you his grace." 



LECTURE X. 



PROTESTANTISM. 

As this is to be the last Lecture o f the course, I shall, 
perhaps, be excused if I offer two or three general 
observations before entering upon the discussion of our 
prescribed subject : 

First, then, I would remark, that these lectures did 
not originate in any combination, on the part of the 
Protestant Churches of this city, against the doctrines 
which are held by our Eoman Catholic Brethren. They 
were not even undertaken by desire of that portion of 
Christ's Church with which the speaker is associated. 
No one belonging either to another Church or to his 
own suggested their delivery. Without suggestion, and 
almost without consultation, they were determined upon 
by him, just as in the retirement of his own closet, and 
with earnest prayer for the Holy Spirit's guidance, he is 
accustomed to select those subjects upon which he dis- 
courses in his ordinary ministrations. He had long felt 
that an exposition of the grounds upon which the 
system of Protestantism rests might be given with great 
advantage to the members of his own congregation, 
and that although discourses of a strictly and entirely 
controversial nature are not usually favorable to the 
advancement of spiritual religion, yet that there would 
be a possibility of so illustrating and enforcing the 



388 



LECTURE X. 



great principles of Protestant Christianity as that they 
should become spiritually and practically beneficial. He 
also thought, and not without foundation, that if an 
announcement of such a design were made, some candid 
and intelligent Roman Catholics, of whom there are 
many in the city, might be disposed to come and exam- 
ine for themselves the principles of that great and 
growing system which they are taught to regard as the 
world's greatest curse. 

The Second observation relates to the spirit in which 
this exposition has been conducted. The speaker appeals 
with confidence to the thousands of all classes who have 
listened to these lectures, that the professions with which 
he commenced the course have been faithfully main- 
tained. It is a great comfort to his mind, in the review 
of the labours and anxieties which have attended this 
investigation, that he has not been betrayed into even a 
slight departure from the principle on which he thus set 
out. He may also be allowed to say, that during these 
ten weeks of thought and research there has been a 
rapid growth of the conviction which he often expressed 
before, that all religious controversies should be con- 
ducted in the spirit of Christian Charity, that the apos- 
tle's words, " Speaking the truth in love" should be the 
motto of every theological controversialist, and that 
until he is prepared to inscribe these words upon his 
banner, he ought not to enter the field of polemical 
warfare. He is free to confess that, on both sides, the 
controversy between Roman Catholics and Protestants 
has often been carried on in a spirit of virulence and- 
abuse, which cannot be defended on simply philosophical 



PROTESTANTISM. 



389 



much less on Christian principles, and which can never 
be productive of spiritual benefit. 

Thirdly, — As to the spirit in which these lectures have 
been received. The speaker is thankful to that gracious 
Being, from whom proceedeth every good and perfect 
gift, for the spirit of inquiry and attentiveness which 
has been manifested throughout the whole course. It 
has rejoiced him to observe that Protestants take so deep 
an interest in the maintenance of their principles, and 
he has been especially gratified to know that many of 
his Roman Catholic friends have so far thrown aside 
their prejudices as to consent to enter a Protestant 
Church, and to hear for themselves the Protestant 
side of the question. It augurs welh for future discus- 
sions, so at least the speaker thinks, that so orderly and 
decorous a behaviour has characterized the very mixed 
and crowded audiences which it has been his privilege 
to address, the more so, that there have come under his 
own observation facts which prove that in many 
instances, Roman Catholics have listened to the argu- 
ments and appeals that have been advanced with an 
earnest and candid desire to inquire into the truth as it is 
in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Fourthly, — As to the results of this effort ; the 
preacher leaves these to the influence of that Divine 
Spirit in whose strength the work was undertaken ; it 
may, however, be permitted him v to hope that these 
results will be beneficial. One effect, probably, will be 
the cultivation of a better state of feeling between our 
Protestant and Roman Catholic fellow citizens. They 
will, perhaps, understand each other better, Roman 



390 



LECTURE X, 



Catholics will be convinced that they have Protestant 
brethren around them who can defend their own prin- 
ciples without descending to abuse; and Protestants 
will learn that there are in the community candid 
Catholics who are disposed to hear with attention what 
may be said on both sides of the great questions on 
which they differ. Another effect will be the establish- 
ment of Protestants in the principles of their own faith. 
It is gratifying to know that this effect has been already 
produced to a very large extent. It is a result much to 
be desired in the present day because of the insidious 
and unworthy attempts which are now made to destroy 
the foundations of Protestantism f by the Jesuits of the 
Church of Rome, whose principles are as thoroughly 
detested by liberal and enlightened Catholics, as they 
are by Protestants. It is not too much to expect that 
another effect of these lectures will be an acknowledg- 
ment on the part of our Roman Catholic friends, 
grounded upon sincere conviction, that, without refer- 
ence to sectional peculiarities, the great principles of 
Protestantism are sustained by the Bible, and by the 
most ancient authorities of the Church. The speaker 
has already heard of conviction of the truth of Protest- 
antism in some minds, and of wavering in others 
respecting the scriptural verity of Roman Catholicism, 
and he prays that the light which has thus pierced the 
darkness may become by the power of the Holy Spirit, 
so intense as that its last remaining gloom may be 
dispelled ! May we not also hope that one other result 
will follow ? "Why should we not expect and believe 
that the gospel seed which has been thus sown in so 



PROTESTANTISM. 



391 



many Protestant and Catholic hearts shall bring forth 
fruit ? Why should we refrain from casting ourselves 
upon the divine announcement, " My word shall not 
return unto me void ?" We will not refrain from thus 
trusting the word of the living God ; we will believe 
that many Roman Catholics and Protestants shall 
become, not Methodists, not Episcopalians, not Presby- 
terians, but humble and penitent believers in the merits 
of Jesus, and faithful followers of the Lamb. God grant 
that it may be even so ! 

The words which I have selected for a text you may 
find in the third verse of the epistle of Jude. 

" I WAS UNDER A NECESSITY TO WRITE UNTO YOU '. TO 
BESEECH YOU TO CONTEND EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH 
ONCE DELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS." 

The terms in which the subject of this lecture has 
been announced, oblige me to define Protestantism. 
What is it ? Roman Catholics say it is a system of 
negations. They also perpetuate that stale objection, 
which, by the way, is assertion only and not argument, 
that Protestantism is a new religion. Now, if Roman 
Catholics desire to know from those who employ the 
term what is meant by Protestantism, our reply is, not 
Lutheranism, not Calvinism, not Arminianism, but 
" the Faith once delivered unto the saints." Listen 
to the first few verses of this epistle and you will find 
that St. Jude exhorts the Christians to whom he wrote, 
to protest against certain novelties which had been 
already introduced into the Christian Church. " Dearly 
beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning 
your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write 



392 



LECTUKE X. 



unto you : to beseech you to contend earnestly for the 
faith once delivered to the saints. For certain men are 
secretly entered in (who were written of long ago unto 
this judgment) ungodly men, turning the grace of our 
Lord God into riotousness, and denying the holy 
sovereign Ruler, and our Lord Jesus Christ." 

I suppose it will not ' be denied by either Protestants 
or Catholics, that it is both the duty and the privilege 
of Christians earnestly to contend for the apostolic faith . 
Now it appears to me that in the nine lectures to which 
you have already listened, the leading principles of 
Protestantism have been undeniably proved to be in 
accordance both with the Holy Scriptures, and with the 
ancient authorities of the Church. I would remind 
you that no argument advanced during this discussion 
has been founded upon Protestant authorities. If I 
have quoted from the Bible in support of any Protestant 
doctrine, I have adopted either the Vulgate or the Douay 
Version. If I have had occasion to refer to history, 
Roman Catholic historians have been uniformly selected. 
If I have described the doctrines of the Church of 
Rome, I have employed the language of its most 
eminent members, and usually the very words of its 
canons and formularies. And yet, notwithstanding that 
I have thus left Protestant ground, and have fought the 
battle within the Roman Catholic territory, I repeat that 
the truth of the leading principles of Protestantism has 
been thoroughly demonstrated. 

I shall adopt the following order in the investigation 
of the subject : first, I shall prove that Protestantism 
is the old religion ; secondly, that the state of the 



PROTESTANTISM. 



393 



Roman Catholic Church in the sixteenth century 
educed that development of pre-existent principles 
which resulted in the Reformation ; and thirdly, I shall 
reply to some objections that may not have been fully 
met in the consideration of the previous investigations. 

First, then, I am to prove that Protestantism is 
the old Religion. 

I need not occupy much of your time in exhibiting 
to you the doctrines of Protestantism, for this is what 
we have been doing for the last nine Sabbath evenings. 
Perhaps the leading principle of the Protestant religion 
is the absolute sufficiency of the Bible as a rule of 
faith ; this is the foundation of the whole superstructure. 
Our appeal for the truth of any doctrine, or the authority 
of any practice is not to creeds, and canons, and articles, 
and confessions, and catechisms, and liturgies, but to this 
glorious fountain of immutable truth, the Bible. And 
because we believe that the doctrines which I shall now 
announce are taught in, and may be proved by this 
divine Book, we acknowledge them to be the articles of 
our creed. These doctrines are, The existence and tri- 
unity of God. Is this a negation ? The totally fallen 
and corrupt condition of man. Is this a negation ? The 
redemption of the whole world hy Christ. Is this a 
negation ? The incarnation of Christ by the Virgin 
Mary. Is this a negation ? The crucifixion of Christ, 
and his one sacrifice for sin. Is this a negation ? The 
resurrection of Christ and his ascension into heaven. Is 
this a negation ? The intercession of Christ and his sole 
Mediator ship. Is this a negation ? The possibility of a 



394 



LECTURE X. 



sinner's justification and holiness. Is this a negation ? 
The necessity of repentance and faith in order to salva- 
tion. Is this a negation ? The personality, office and 
work of the Holy Spirit. Is this a negation ? The last 
and general judgment. Is this a negation ? The eternal 
blessedness of the righteous, and the eternal misery of 
the unbelieving. Are these negations ? These are the 
truths or doctrines upon which we have been dilating, 
and I am much mistaken if it has not been proved to 
the satisfaction of most of my hearers, that novelty is 
not the characteristic of Protestantism, but rather of 
Roman Catholicism. Need I remind you that the most 
ancient Creeds of the Church are freely subscribed by 
Protestants ? The Apostles' Creed, as it is usually 
called, aud the Nicene Creed, are the Creeds of Protest- 
antism ; and why we are anathematized when we are 
prepared to adopt that only profession of faith which 
was used in the first few centuries of the Christian 
Church, is a question which I pretend not to solve. If 
Protestantism is a novelty, then is the Apostles' Creed 
a novelty. If Protestantism is a novelty, a thing of 
yesterday, then may the same be predicated of the 
formulary of the Nicene Fathers. If Protestantism is a 
novelty, then is much that the fathers of the church wrote 
a novelty ; for inconsistent with themselves and with 
each other, as they frequently are, they favour more the 
doctrinces of Protestantism than those of the Trentine 
Council. Roman Catholic controversialists have expeDded 
their curses upon Luther for preaching the doctrine of 
justification by faith only, while St. Hilary in his ninth 
canon upon Matthew, says, " Faith only justifieth ;" and 



PROTESTANTISM, 



395 



St. Basil in his Homily on Humility : " This is a perfect 
and whole rejoicing in God when a man acknowledged 
himself to be justified by the only faith in Christ ;" and 
St. Ambrose : " This is the ordinance of God that they 
which believe in Christ should be saved, without works, 
by faith only, receiving remission of their sins." Is 
there any novelty, therefore, in the Protestant doctrine 
of salvation by faith only? The defenders of the 
Eoman Catholic faith have showered their sneers upon 
Protestants for asserting the Bible to be the only rule 
of faith. Now listen to St. Augustine : " For whereas 
the Lord had done many things, all were not written ; for 
the same Evangelist John testifies that he both said and 
did many things which are not written, but those things 
were selected to be written which were thought sufficient 
for the salvation of believers." — On Gospel of John, 
xx. v. 30. Jerome also may be quoted; " The Church 
of Christ which has Churches in the whole world, is 
united by the unity of the spirit, and has the cities of 
the law, the prophets, the gospel, and the apostles ; she 
has not gone forth from her boundaries, that is," he 
continues, " from the Holy Scriptures." Origen says, 
" As all gold, whatsoever it be, that is without the 
temple is not holy ; so every sense which is without the 
Divine Scripture, however admirable it may appear to 
some, is not holy, because it is foreign to the Scripture." 
(25th Homily on Matthew). Hear also the following 
triumphant defence of this great bulwark of Protestant- 
ism from St. Cyril of Jerusalem : " Not even the least 
of the Divine and Holy mysteries of the faith 
ought to be handed down without the dlvine 



396 



LECTURE X. 



Scriptures." Will Roman Catholics in the face of 
these extracts from their own revered fathers ever 
again tannt Protestants with the novelty of this doc- 
trine \ 

This charge of novelty comes with an ill grace from 
those who have invested the novelties of the Council of 
Trent with the authority of inspiration, and have ana- 
thematized all those who dare to dissent from them. 
Novelty belongs to the Church of Rome. What will 
our friends say to this passage from Justin Martyr, and 
how will they make it agree with the doctrines of 
transubstantiation and the sacrifice of the mass ? " I 
also affirm," says he, in his dialogue with Trypho, 
" that the prayers and praises of the saints are the only 
perfect sacrifices acceptable to God. For these only 
have the Christians undertaken to perform, and by the 
commemoration of the wet and dry food, in which we 
call to mind the sufferings which the God of gods suf- 
fered through Him, whose name the High Priest and 
Scribes have caused to be profaned and blasphemed 
throughout the earth." Listen to Eusebius, of Cesarea : 
" He gave again to his disciples the symbols of the 
Divine economy, and he commanded them to make the 
image of his own body." Again : " He appointed them 
to use bread as a symbol of his own body." To this 
agree the words of Tertullian : " The bread which he 
had taken and distributed to his disciples he made his 
body, by saying, 1 This is my body,' that is, the figure 
of my body." And yet the Church of Rome pleads 
antiquity in support of her doctrines, and attempts to 
affix upon Protestantism the stigma of novelty. Novelty 



PROTESTANTISM. 



397 



belongs to the Church of Rome. You heard enough 
last Sabbath to prove to you that purgatory is a novelty ; 
I ask you, however, to listen again to ancient testimony 
on this doctrine. Chrysostom, in his second homily on 
Lazarus, says: "When we shall be departed out of 
this life, there is then no room for repentance ; nor will 
it be in our power to wash out any spots we have con- 
tracted, or to purge away any one of the evils we have 
committed." To whom then justly attaches this stigma 
of novelty ? To the Council of Trent, which anathe- 
matizes those who deny the doctrine of purgatory, or 
to the Protestant community, which declares it to be 
contrary to both Scripture and antiquity ? St. Cyprian 
in his sermon on mortality, says : " The just, when they 
die, are called to a place of shelter and rest;" and 
Gregory Nazianzen affirms, that " the souls of good 
people when they are freed from the body, do forth- 
with enjoy an incredible pleasure, and joyfully fly unto 
the Lord." Novelty belongs to the Church of Rome. 
Auricular confession is a favourite doctrine of the 
Roman Catholic Church. Is it however sustained by 
antiquity? Listen to Chrysostom in his fifth -sermon 
on the incomprehensible nature of God : " For this 
reason I entreat, and beseech, and pray you to confess 
continually to God. For I do not bring thee into the 
theatre of thy fellow-servants, nor do I compel thee to 
discover thy sins to men. Uncover your conscience to 
God, and seek a cure from him." Again, he says in 
his sermon on Repentance and Confession, fifth volume 
of his works : " But now it is not necessary to confess 
your sins to witnesses who are present ; let the inquiry 
s 



398 



LECTURE X. 



of thy offences be made in thy thought, let this judg'~ 
ment be without a witness, let God only see thee 
confessing." Novelty belongs to the Church of Rome. 
The necessity of subordinate mediators to facilitate our 
access to the Father and the Son, is a universally 
acknowledged doctrine of the Roman Church : What 
then will be said to the following declaration of Chry- 
sostom : " When we want any thing from men, we have 
need of cost and money, and servile adulation, and 
much going up and down, and great ado. For it falleth 
out oftentimes that we cannot go straight unto the lords 
themselves and present our gifts unto thern and speak 
with them, but it is necessary for us first to procure the 
favour of their ministers, and stewards, and officers, 
both by payments and words, and all other means ; and 
then by their mediation to obtain our request. But 
with God it is not thus, for there is no need of interces- 
sors for the petitioners ; neither is he so ready to give a 
gracious answer when entreated by others as by ourselves 
praying unto Him." Can you wonder at our reiterat- 
ing the assertion that Novelty belongs to the Church 
of Rome ? I might advance other and equally con- 
vincing extracts from the Fathers in proof of my 
position, but these will suffice. I know what our 
Roman Catholic friends will reply — they will say that 
they can produce passages from the Fathers equally 
corroborative of the truth of their doctrines ; now sup- 
pose we were to grant this ; how would the concession 
serve the interests of Roman Catholicism ? It would 
at once convict the Fathers of the Church of inconsis- 
tency with each other and with themselves, and there- 



PROTESTANTISM. 



399 



fore of being unworthy witnesses in support of Roman 
Catholic pretensions. We are not careful whether the 
defenders of the Church of Rome select this or the other 
horn of the dilemma. 

But if such sentiments as these pervaded the writings 
of the - Fathers, and if novelty is the characteristic of 
many of the peculiar dogmas of the Church of Rome, 
might we not expect to find, before the days of Luther, 
some indications of the existence of the old Apostolic 
faith, as Protestants call it ? Ts it probable, is it even 
possible, that intelligent ecclesiastics, should tamely 
submit to the introduction of novelties ? That with 
the Bible and the Fathers in their libraries, there should 
not have been some protests against doctrinal innova- 
tions ? We reply that such a thing is not probable, 
and scarcely possible. We reply, further, that such a 
thing did not exist. This old religion, the religion of 
the Bible and of Protestantism was in existence before 
the Reformation of the sixteenth century ; and nothing 
but ignorance of his own authors, or unwarrantable 
effrontery, could lead a Roman Catholic to propound to 
a Protestant the oft repeated and oft answered ques- 
tion — " Where was your religion before Luther ?" 
The Protestant answer to this demand is " In the 
Bible ! " But we shall give another answer to the 
question, and one which will convict the enemies of 
Protestantism of unscrupulous misrepresentation. Why 
then, I ask, but that resistance was made to the dogmas 
and practices of the Church, were laws enacted against 
heretics? Why was Wickliffe denounced 150 years 
before the Reformation, but that he protested against 



400 



LECTURE X. 



the novelties of the Roman Catholic Church, and 
appealed to the Bible as the only source of truth ? Why 
were Huss and Jerome of Prague martyred at the stake, 
but that the truths which WicklifTe taught were in- 
fluencing them against the encroachments of Rome ? 

But let us go back to the thirteenth century, and let 
us ask why were the Waldenses persecuted and slaugh- 
tered ? Let Rainerius, the persecutor of these noble 
people, himself declare : " They are the most formidable 
enemies of the Church of Rome, because they have a 
great appearance of godliness, because they live right- 
eously before men, believe rightly of God in all things, 
and hold all. the articles of the creed ; yet they hate 
and revile the Church of Rome, and in their accusations 
are easily believed by the people." Mark this; the 
chief ground of the treatment which they received at 
the hands of the Church of Rome was not immorality, 
not a renunciation of the articles of the Christian faith, 
but an inveterate hatred to the practices of the Roman 
Church. And whence did these Alpine Christians and 
martyrs derive their faith ? Was it a late importation 
into the valleys and fastnesses which they peopled ? 
This same Rainerius, the inquisitor, says again : " That 
sect is the most dangerous of all heretics, because it is 
of the longest duration, for some say that it has con- 
tinued to flourish since the time of Sjdvester, others 
from the times of the apostles." Cassini, an Italian 
priest, testifies that he " found it handed down that the 
Vaudois were as ancient as the Christian Church." 
Campian, the Jesuit, collected that they were said to be 
" more ancient than the Roman Church ;" and the monk, 



PROTESTANTISM. 



401 



Belvidere, in Ms inquisitorial reports, laments that 
" these heretics have been found at all periods of history 
in the valley of Angrogna." And what were the doc- 
trines of the church against which these confessedly 
ancient Christians protested ? Purgatory, images, the 
invocation of saints, the sacrifice of the mass, transub- 
stantiation, the authority and decrees of the Bishop of 
Rome. 

" Where was your religion before Luther ?" is the 
demand. Where ? In the writings and experience of 
those nonconformists of whom, in the year 1153, Ber- 
nard of Clairvaux spoke, who he says were then disturb- 
ing the Latin Church. Where was our religion before 
Luther ? We point our inquirers to the valleys of 
Piedmont, and ask them to contemplate it in the purity 
of life, and in the patient endurance of suffering for 
Christ, which were manifested by their noble inhabitants. 
Listen, and our religion will become vocal in the groans 
of the hundreds and the thousands of that noble race 
who were slaughtered for the testimony of Jesus. Where 
was our religion before Luther % Go to Oxford and 
follow the pen of Wickliffe in his remonstrances against 
the encroachments of Rome, in his scriptural expositions 
of truth, and in his translating the Scriptures into the 
Vulgar tongue. Here, in the writings of the " Gospel 
Doctor," as he was derisively called, you see something 
of the Protestant religion, and yet he lived one hundred 
and sixty-two years before Luther ! Where was our 
religion '? In the writings and opinions of St. Anselm 
who taught his people to die " trusting only in the merit 
of Jesus Christ." Where was our religion before 



402 



LECTURE X. 



Luther ? Go to Bale in Germany, and you will see it 
engraved on a painted window by an ancient Bishop of 
that city, Christopher of Utenheim, in these words : — 
" My hope is the cross of Christ ; I seek grace and not 
works," Where was our religion before Luther ? Read 
its evangelical and simple principles in the following con- 
fession of a poor Carthusian monk : — " God most 
charitable ! I know that I cannot be saved and satisfy 
thy justice, otherwise than through the merit, the 
innocent passion, and the death of thy well beloved 
Son. Pious Jesus, all my salvation is in thy hands. 
Thou canst not turn from me the hands of thy love, for 
they have created, formed and redeemed me." "Where 
was our religion before Luther ? The dungeons of the 
inquisition and its instruments of torture, the cries of 
its penitents and the groans of its martyrs, the stakes and 
the faggots and the gridirons and the cauldrons which 
were in use ere Luther was born, declare with resistless 
testimony that long before his day the blessed light of 
Protestanism dawned upon the world's dark ages. 

Where then, I demand, is the justice or even the con- 
sistency of declaring the doctrines of Protestantism to 
be the invention of Luther ? Any man who has read 
history but slightly must know, that, by such an asser- 
tion, he convicts himself of insincerity and falsehood. 
And what becomes of the taunt of novelty against Pro- 
testantism in the face of the fact which has been more 
than once established in these lectures, that Roman 
Catholic writers themselves acknowledge the existence 
of doctrines and practices in their Church which were 
unknown to antiquity ? But we will take our friends 



PROTESTANTISM. 



403 



on their own ground ; we will suppose that the system 
of religion which we have adopted and which we advo- 
cate was constituted by Luther, we will suppose that 
novelty is the characteristic of Protestantism and that 
Roman Catholicism can justly boast her antiquity, yet 
will the following words of Tertullian, even on this 
ground, overthrow the pretensions of the Church of 
Rome, and with them we shall close this branch of the 
lecture : — " As the doctrine of a Church, when it is di- 
verse from, or contrary to that of the apostles, shows it 
not to be an apostolic Church, though it pretend to be 
founded by an apostle : So those churches that cannot 
produce any of the apostles, or apostolical men for their 
founders, (being much later and newly constituted) yet 
conspiring in the same faith, are nevertheless to be 
accounted apostolical Churches, because of the con- 
sanguinity of Doctrine." I am now to show 

II. That the corrupt state op the Church of 
Rome educed that development of pre-existent 
principles which resulted in the Reformation 
of the sixteenth century. 

This is a subject which must be painful to Roman 
Catholics, and yet, in justice to both the Reformers 
and ourselves, it must be fully considered. Whether the 
members of the Roman community in the present day, 
are, or are not prepared to admit the almost universal 
corruption of the church at the period to which we now 
refer, is not material to our purpose. It is enough 
for us that the testim'ony of eminent Roman Catholic 
writers of that day, is more than abundant as to the 



404 



LECTURE X. 



absolute and immediate need of a general Reformation 
of the Church. 

The corruption of the Church of Rome may be said 
to have commenced in the time of Gregory the Great ; 
and there is testimony at hand that Christendom was 
subsequently deluged with pollution from the papal court. 
Make the fountain impure and the streams will be im- 
pure. Gibbon, who will not be suspected of any leaning 
towards Protestanism, states on the authority of Luit- 
prand, that for the first half of the tenth century the 
Popedom was in the hands of Theodora and Marozia, 
two abandoned women, who, rivalling each other in lewd 
licentiousness, deposed and installed the vicars of Christ 
at their pleasure. " The influence," says Gibbon " of 
these sisters was founded on their great wealth and 
beauty, their political and amorous intrigues. The 
most strenuous of their lovers were rewarded with the 
Roman mitre, and their reign may have suggested to 
the darker ages, the fable of a female Pope. The 
illegitimate son, the grand son, and the great-grand son 
of Marozia, a rare genealogy, were seated in the chair of 
Peter ; and it was at the age of nineteen years that the 
second of these became the head of the Latin Church. 
His youth and manhood were of a suitable complexion, 
and the nations of pilgrims could bear testimony to the 
charges that were urged against him in a Roman Synod, 
and before Otho the Great. His open simony might 
be the consequence of distress — his blasphemous invo- 
cations of Jupiter and Venus, if true, could not possibly 
be serious ; but we read with some surprise that the 
grandson of Marozia lived in public adultery, that the 



PROTESTANTISM. 



405 



Lateran palace was turned into a school for prostitution, 
and that his open seductions had deterred the female 
pilgrims from visiting the tomb of St. Peter, lest in the 
devout act, they should be violated by his successor." 
Gibbon, as we have already seen gives his authority for 
this picture, and that it is not overdrawn, appears pro- 
bable from the following representation made by nine 
Cardinals to Pope Paul III., at a subsequent period : 
" In this city (Rome) prostitutes walk about as if they 
were goodly matrons, or they ride upon mules, and are 
at noon-day followed up and down by men of the best 
account in the families of the Cardinals, and by clergy- 
men. We see no such degeneracy in any other city 
but in this which should be an example to others." 

Platina, the Roman Catholic historian, acknowledges 
that " Boniface VII., obtained the popedom by wicked 
arts, and lost it by the same means ; many of the honest 
citizens of Rome, having conspired against him, he was 
glad to escape from the city, after having first robbed 
the church of St. Peter of all the precious jewels, rich 
utensils and ornaments, which he carried to Constanti- 
nople, and there sold. Subsequently, he returned to 
Rome, seized upon John XV. who had been chosen 
Pope in his absence, put out his eyes, and at length 
starved him to death in prison." He lived but a short 
time after his return, and the citizens of Rome, says 
Peneda, "dragged his dead body, tied by the feet, 
through the streets of St. J ohn^Lateran, and there left it 
a prey to dogs." And what shall we say of the boy 
Pope, Benedict IX. of whom one of his successors says, 



406 



LECTURE X. 



" So base and so execrable was his life that I shudder 
to relate it ?" 

In a sermon preached by Jean Gerson, Chancellor of 
Paris, before the Council of Constance, he applies to the 
Church of Rome in his day, these words of the prophet 
Ezekiel, " Thou didst trust in thine, own beauty and 
playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst 
out thy fornications on every one that passed by. And 
in all thy abominations thou hast not remembered the 
days of thy youth. Thou hast built thy brothel house at 
every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be 
abhorred. Behold therefore, I will deliver thee into the 
hands of those who hate thee." He then exhorts the 
Council " either to reform all states of the church in a 
general Council, or command them to be reformed in 
Provincial Synods ; that, by their authority, the church 
might be repaired, and the house of God purged from 
all uncleanliness, vices and errors." The desperate state 
of the church may be gathered also from the fact, that 
the College of Cardinals, at the death of Alexander VI., 
before they entered the conclave for the election of a 
new Pope, took an oath that if any of them should be 
chosen, he should immediately, before the publication 
of his election, bind himself under pain of perjury and a 
curse, to call a Council within two years, for the refor- 
mation of the Church. It may be well to mention that 
Julius III. who had taken the oath, was elected ; but he 
violated his vow, and ninp Cardinals who had suffered 
from his insolence, withdrew themselves from Rome and 
called the second Pisan Council for the purpose if pos- 
dlle of securing the much needed reformation. Who 



PROTESTANTISM. 



407 



will say, in the face of these testimonies that a protest 
against these crimes of the church was not demanded 
from some quarter ? Who will say that by every means 
that would not involve sin, this pollution should have 
been washed away ? 

Listen to another representation of this polluted 
condition of the church from St. Bridget, a saint of high 
reputation in the Catholic Church, who in her celestial 
revelations calls the pope "the destroyer of souls, who 
scatters and tears the sheep of Christ." She says, 
" The pope is more abominable than the Jews, more 
cruel than Judas, more unjust than Pilate, more wicked 
and evil than Jupiter himself ; — that his throne shall be 
hurled into the abyss as a great millstone, that his 
Cardinals shall be cast into everlasting fire and sulphur." 
" Of the pope," she again says, " Christ demands, ' what 
means that excessive pride, insatiable cupidity, and luxury 
which I abhor, and even a horrid whirlpool of the 
basest simony.' The Pope who ought to cry, ' Come 
ye shall find rest for your souls,' exclaims, * Come and 
see me in pomp and grandeur above Solomon's. Come 
to my court and empty your purees and ye shall find 
damnation for your souls 1' for thus he doth speak by his 
example and conduct. Behold Rome is now a vortex of 
infernal mammon, where the demon of all avarice dwells, 
selling the patrimony of Christ which he purchased 
with his passion, who has told us that we should freely 
give because we have freely received." Speaking 
afterwards of the Pope, she says. " This is true justice, 
that the Pope who sits in the chair of Peter and does 
the works of the devil, should resign the seat which he 



408 



LECTURE X. 



has dared to usurp, and be a partaker of the punishment 
of the devil." 

This picture is sufficiently sickening, and I would 
immediately pass on to another and more grateful sub- 
ject, did I not feel it to be necessary, for the sake of 
both Protestants and Catholics, to convey the fullest 
possible information respecting the condition of the 
Church at and before the period of the Reformation. 
The course usually pursued by Roman Catholics is to 
heap all the iniquity and all the guilt that belonged to 
that period, upon the Protestant Reformers. They were 
the chief sinners of that age ; they disturbed the church 
in her holy quiet ; they were worthy of condign punish- 
ment. The general opinion of Roman Catholics in the 
present day is that WicklirTe, and Huss, and Luther, and 
Calvin, and Cranmer were monsters of iniquity. What 
says the mild, the polite, the plausible Dr. Milner ? " I 
have shown that patriarch Luther was the sport of his 
unbridled passions, pride, resentment and lust ; that he 
was turbulent, abusive, sacrilegious, in the highest 
degree ; that he was the trumpeter of sedition, civil war, 
rebellion and desolation ; and finally, that by his own 
account, he was the scholar of Satan in the most im- 
portant article of his pretended Reformation. I have 
made out nearly as heavy a charge against his chief 
followers, Zuinglius, Ochin, Calvin, Beza and Cranmer." 
And now let us see the measure of severity with which 
the kind Doctor visits the corrupt Popes and Cardinals, 
whose vices have been depicted by St. Bridget and other 
Roman Catholics. " I, as well as Baronius, Bellarmine, 
and other Catholic writers, have unequivocally admitted 



PROTESTANTISM. 409 

that some few of our pontiffs have disgraced themselves 
by their crimes, and given just cause of scandal to 
Christendom ; but I have remarked that the credit of 
our cause is not affected by the personal conduct of 
particular pastors who succeed one another in a regular 
way, in the manner that the credit of yours is by the 
behaviour of your founders, who professed to have 
received an extraordinary revelation from God to reform 
religion." ..." Lastly, I grant that a few of the Popes, 
perhaps a tenth part of the whole number, swerving 
from the example of the rest, have, by their personal vices, 
disgraced their holy station : but even these Popes 
always fulfilled their public duties to the church by 
maintaining the apostolical doctrine, moral as well as 
speculative, the apostolical orders, and the apostolical 
mission ; so that their misconduct chiefly injured their 
own souls, and did not essentially affect the church." 
Such is the gentleness of hand w ith which this Reverend 
Doctor touches the monstrous profligacies of the Roman 
Court ! Why does he not imitate the candour of St. 
Bridget, whom he so much admires ? Why — but I 
dare not trust myself to dilate upon this flagrant 
partiality on the part of this defender of " the Holy 
Faith." 

But I must refer you to other testimonies, as to the 
corruption of the Popes. The celebrated Petrarch, of 
whom Butler, in his lives of the saints says, "His 
works render his name immortal," hi his twentieth 
epistle, designates the Papal Court, "Babylon," and 
"the Babylonish Whore, seated upon the waters, 
the Mother of all idolatries and fornications, with 



410 



LECTURE X. 



whom the princes and kings of the earth have com- 
mitted fornication." "The asylum of heresies and 
errors, &c, of whom the Holy Spirit prophesied in the 
Apocalypse:" and amply proves the truth of that 
proverb, " No greater evil can ever befal a man than 
being elected Pope." In another place he thus writes 
of Rome, the Holy City : " Whatever any where you 
have read or heard of perfidy and fraud, whatever of 
cruelty and pride, whatever of uncleanness and unbrid- 
led lust ; lastly, whatever of impiety and abandoned 
manners exists, or has existed in the whole world, from 
pole to pole, all this you may see here, collected into 

one mass and heaped up together /" "I speak 

not," says he, " of Simony and selling the gifts of the 
Holy Spirit for money ; I speak not of covetousness, 
the mother of that crime, and which is styled by the 
Apostle — Idolatry. I speak not of the contrivers of 
every lust, nor of the procurers who haunt the Papal 
chambers," — But I dare not proceed. 

Once more, in his tenth Epistle, being then at the 
Pope's court at Avignon ; he says, " Whoever would 
truly behold it, let him come hither and view that hell, 
which poets of old did but fancy. For here is wanting 
no horror of imprisonment, no error of palpable dark- 
ness, no fatal urns shuffling together the lots and des- 
tinies of men : and to conclude, no imperious Minos, no 
tearing Minotaurus, nor lascivious portraits of damned 
Venus, are here rare and scarce. All hope of safety 
lies in gold, the cruel king of the Imperial regions is 
appeased with gold. The prodigious monsters that 
attend him are subdued with gold. For gold, the web 



PROTESTANTISM. 



411 



of human salvation is woven, only for gold are the hard 
thresholds of this gate, shewn ; for gold the bars are 
broken ; with gold the grizly Porter's mouth is stopt, 
for gold Heaven is opened; and, what needs many 

words, Christ himself is sold for gold." 

" There the hope of a future state is some empty 
fable, and all that is revealed of hell, mere fabulous 
reports. The resurrection of the body, and the end of 
the world, and Christ coming to judgment, all old 
women's tales. Truth is there madness, and abstinence 

clownishness, chastity, a disgrace and the more 

foul one's life is, the more illustrious is it considered — 
the more wicked, — the more glorious /" 

Can we then wonder at Cardinal Baronius, when he 
describes the Popes of these ages as " Monstrous and 
infamous in their lives, dissolute in their manners, and 
wicked and villainous in all things ?" But what has 
been affirmed of the Papal Court, in particular, may 
be said of the Clergy in general. Ecbert, a monk, 
says of the twelfth century, "I have inspected the 
. Churches of the Clergy, and have found in them great 
and endless enormities. I have seen the cloisters of 
nuns which I can call by no fitter name than a snare of 
the devil, and lo, an alien has laid waste all, the lilies of 
chastity are burnt up, and a woeful destruction is every 
where conspicuous throughout the whole world of 
souls." Honorius Augustodinus, says " Look also at 
the nunneries, and you will see in them a chamber 
made ready for the beast. These, from a tender age, 
learn lewdness, and associate very many companions with 
themselves to heap up greater damnation. Like an in- 



412 



LECTURE X. 



satiable whirlpool, they can never be satisfied with the 
filth of their uncleanness. In the fourteenth century, 
Alvarus Pelagius, a Roman Catholic author, wrote a work 
entitled " The Lament of the Church," in which he says 
of the Clergy : — " Many of them enter taverns without 
cause ; they are addicted to magical arts, augury, and 
divination. They carry weapons of offence ; many 
carry on wars. They have to do with unlawful gains ; 
they often practise usury. They manage the affairs of 
the Church badly. They bring up their children, and 

relatives, with the property of the church, &c 

They are addicted to feasting, and drunkenness, and 
whoredom, ivhich is a common vice with them ; and 

MOST OF THEM ALSO THE SIN WHICH IS AGAINST 

nature. They give money to players, &c. ; they play 

at dice They mix themselves up with 

secular affairs. They are not an example of good to 
the laity, as they ought to be r but rather the contrary ; 
for in the present day, commonly, the clergy are more 

wicked than the laity Against that holy 

chastity which they have vowed to God, they offend 
constantly, even in fublic ; besides those most horrid 
crimes which they practise in secret, which neither my 

paper will receive nor my pen write The 

bishops ordain priests for money I scarcely 

think, especially in Spain, that out of a hundred 
bishops, there is one who is not a Simonist."" 

But I must with-hold. — I could occupy hour after 
hour in reading to you from Roman Catholic writers and 
historians, descriptions and representations of the state 
of the Church, that would make you blush and weep 



PROTESTANTISM. 



413 



at the degradation arid pollution of our fallen humanity 
— pollution concealed beneath sacerdotal robes, and 
within the walls of sacristies and convents. Can you 
wonder that for years and almost centuries, the mem- 
bers of the Church of Kome called aloud for a Refor- 
mation of the Clergy, that the Vatican was literally 
assailed with remonstrances against the impurities of 
the Church ? Is it not rather surprising that the Refor- 
mation did not assume shape and substance before the 
sixteenth century ? Who will deny that a Reformation 
was needed ? Who will deny that the authorities of 
the Church, failed to do that, which by her best mem- 
bers, lay and ecclesiastic, they were urged to do ? 
Cardinals, Bishops, Saints of both sexes, Doctors, Monks 
and Pastors, Emperors, Kings, and Senators, called aloud 
for Reformation. 

What answer did they get ? The Council of 
Constance, which it was thought would strike the first 
note of Reform in the Church, imported into that city, 
I speak on the authority of Labbeus, a larger amount 
of lasciviousness and impurity than had previously 
existed within its walls. Seven hundred harlots fol- 
lowed the Constantian fathers into the City ! This 
was the infallible Council that burned John Huss ! 
Cardinal Hugo, in a speech which he made to the citi- 
zens of Lyons, immediately after the dissolution of the 
sacred Synod which was held there, boasted that at the 
time of the meeting, the city contained two or three 
brothels ; but that at its departure it comprehended 
only one which however extended without interruption 
from the eastern to the western gate. And as to the 



414 



LECTURE X, 



Council of Trent, its members spent more time in heap- 
ing anathemas upon the heads of Protestants than in 
seeking to reform the crimes of Catholics. 

"Will my Roman Catholic friends look at these things 
with candour ? Will they ask themselves whether their 
Church, in the ages of which I have spoken, manifested 
the spirit and the purity of the true Church of Christ ? 
Where was her sanctity ? Where was her unity ? 
Unless indeed we speak of unity of crime ! Where 
was her apostolicity ? Not surely in the chair of St. 
Peter ! Where was the infallibility of the Church ? 
Was it in the Popes ? No ; for we have seen that 
they were corrupt and debased men. Was it in 
the College of Cardinals? No; for they were no 
less depraved. Was it in the Clergy generally? 
History assures us that they had departed from the 
purity of the Gospel. Did it reside in the convents 
and monasteries of the Church ? No ; for they were 
the acknowledged scenes of the foulest crimes. Do 
you find it in the Councils of Basil or of Constance ? 
Alas for infallibility ! It is a meteor ! You follow it 
to Rome, it is still distant from you ; you imagine that 
it lights upon the Church of the Pontiff, but as you 
approach, it disappears ; — you see it resting over the 
conclave of Cardinals, but as you draw near to admire 
its light and beauty, lo, it is gone ! You follow it to 
the cities of Florence, of Constance, of Trent, surely you 
will reach it here, but it still shuns investigation. 
To return however : Do I rejoice over these crimes ? 
God forbid that I should triumph at the abounding of 
iniquity. Would, I say, that the Church of Rome had 



PROTESTANTISM. 



415 



remained in her original Apostolic purity and simplicity ! 
Then had there been no call for a Eeformation ; then 
had Christendom remained one ; but she did not ! And 
when she had sunk into viciousness, her authorities did 
not even then interfere ; but God interfered and raised 
up instruments of his own. The imperfect light which 
dawned upon Wickcliffe and Huss, increased in bright- 
ness in the days of Luther ; it was not perfect day but 
morning, early morning. It is not yet perfect day ; but 
the light is increasing, the truth is unfettered, the word 
of God is multiplied, the blessings o p the Reformation 
are diffusing themselves over our dark world, and by 
and by, the perfect day of millenial glory will burst 
forth upon the Church from the Sun of Righteousness, 
unintercepted by any cloud of error or of darkness or 
of bigotry ; the Church of Christ shall be purified and 
perfected, made one and catholic, and shall acknow- 
ledge one Sovereign Pontiff, one Shepherd and Bishop 
of souls, even Jesus Christ ; so will the prophetic word 
be verified, " There shall be one fold and one 
Shepherd." It was proposed to consider 

III. Some objections which might not probably 

HAVE BEEN MET IN THE DISCUSSION OF THE FORMER 
BRANCHES OF THE SUBJECT. 

1. A common objection urged by Roman Catholics 
against Protestantism, is, that it is destitute of unity. 
If it is meant that we have no real unity, doctrinal or 
spiritual, I deny the allegation, and appeal to the 
course which I have adopted during these lectures. 
You all know that the speaker is a Wesley an Methodist 



416 



LECTURE X. 



Minister, and yet in defining the principles of Protest- 
antism, he has not, excepting in one single instance, 
and then only to show that it coincides with Protestant 
standards generally, referred to a Methodist standard. 
I have taken up the standards of the Churches of 
England and Scotland, and have quoted from the 
Homilies and Articles of the one, and from the 
Confession and Catechisms of the other, as well as from 
one or two Continental Protestant authorities, thus 
demonstrating that in its leading principles, Protest- 
antism is One. 

Roman Catholics manifest great anxiety to father 
upon Protestantism, the modern heresies of the Church, 
and even some of its ancient ones. Mormonism is a 
phase of Protestantism, and Millerism is a form of 
Protestantism, if we may credit 'Roman Catholic con- 
troversialists ; but these champions forget, that we have 
an equal right to brand the Roman Catholic Church 
with Arianism, Pelagianism, Sabellianism, and a hun- 
dred other heresies which sprang up in the earlier 
centuries of the Church's history. Has this method 
been pursued in these lectures ? Because Arius was a 
Bishop of the Church, have I fastened Arianism upon 
it ? Has this been my course ? I leave yourselves to 
reply. Then I add, you have no right, in describing 
Protestantism, to associate with it Mormonism or Uni- 
veralism ; or in writing about Protestants, to class them 
with those sections of the community, whose principles 
they themselves eschew with quite as much determina- 
tion and consistency of purpose as the ancient Church 
eschewed the doctrines of Arius, and perhaps a little 



PROTESTANTISM. 



417 



more. I can hardly suppress a smile when I hear 
Roman Catholics boast of their own unity in contrast 
with the diversities of Protestantism. The more I have 
examined this subject, the more convinced am I that 
it is a hollow unity, — a mere crust which overspreads 
and couceals the fused and confused masses of cinerous 
and other substances that exist in the volcano beneath, 
and which are ready to belch out their fury and to 
involve in sudden destruction the myriads who walk 
over it with as much security as though it were an 
everlasting rock. Unity ! consider the five sections 
into which the Roman Catholic Church is divided on 
the one subject of transubstantiation. Unity ! Look 
at the almost innumerable opinions which exist in the 
Church of Rome respecting the seat of its infallibility. 
Unity ! What shall we say of the three systems that 
prevail respecting the number and authority of Church 
Councils, some calling those general, and therefore 
infallible, which others designate particular, and there- 
fore fallible ? Unity ! Look at the variations which 
exist as to the particular efficacy of Extreme Unction, 
and as to the kind of adoration which should be paid 
to images. Unity ! What unity is there between the 
Doctors of one age and those of another ? Where is 
the unity of the Fathers ? Where is the unity of the 
Popes ? Is there then any justice, any consistency, in 
affirming that visible unity belongs to the true Church, 
and then to unchurch Protestants, because they have it 
not. Where, I again ask, is the Unity of the 
Church of Rome ? 



418 



LECTURE X. 



2. Roman Catholics profess to object to Protest- 
antism because of the alleged vicious character of the 
Reformers. I am not intending to defend either the 
acts or the opinions of the authors of the Reformation. 
There were many things said and done in the sixteenth 
and seventeenth centuries by Protestants, which the 
Protestants of the present day uniformly condemn ; and 
I should indeed wonder if, in escaping from that pit of 
filth, and corruption through which I have this evening 
conducted you, they had not retained upon their 
vestments some stains of pollution. What astonishes 
me is that they brought with them k& few ! But : after 
all, the Reformers have been maligned, their failings 
have been magnified and multiplied to serve a purpose. 
Luther has been called a companion and disciple of the 
devil, because he dreamed at one time that he had a 
conflict with him, and at another time imagined himself 
to be actually contending with him. But what do you 
make of this ? His dream or his imagination, merely put 
into physical form, what every one of us has every day 
to contend with spiritually, — and those who perpetuate 
this slur upon the character of the great Reformer, for 
want of something more tangible, would perhaps not be 
the worse of remembering what the Apostle Paul 
says : " We wrestle with principalities and powers and 
wicked spirits in high places," or what Peter advised : 
" Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the 
Devil as a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he 
may devour." I observe further, that these objections 
recoil with tenfold effect upon those who contend that 
the integrity of the Church was not affected by the 



PROTESTANTISM, 



419 



impurities that were lodged for centuries in the Papal 
Chair, and beneath the very altars of Christendom. 

I must now conclude this series of lectures. I am 
grateful to God on my own account that I was led to 
undertake this task. It is profitable to investigate the 
truth of God, and I may say, without any fear of being 
misunderstood, that I see a greater beauty than ever in 
the Gospel of Christ, especially in its doctrines of saving 
grace. Some have gone so far as to predict that such 
an .examination into the claims of Roman Catholicism as 
that which I have been undertaking, would lead to my 
adoption of the faith with which I have thus been con- 
tending. Now, I am free to confess that I have learned 
many things during this discussion which I never knew 
before, but amongst othe;: things, I have obtained a 
deeper conviction than I ever yet experienced, that 
the foundation upon which rest the principles of our 
glorious Protestantism, is firm as the Rock of ages. We 
have our peculiarities, and our inconsistencies, and our 
failings, but the principles are sound and everlasting ; 
the rock is not weakened by the limpets which cleave 
to its surface, or by the growth of weeds which fill up 
its chinks — neither is it affected by the winds which 
blow on its surface, or by the billows which rage at its 
base. " The word of God liveth and abideth for 
ever." 

I intend to pursue in private the investigation of this 
great and momentous subject, and if in the order of 
Providence, my life be spared, and my lot should be to 
continue among you, I shall hope within a year from 
this time to conduct you through a somewhat similar, 



420 



LECTURE X. 



though perhaps shorter investigation of the principles of 
Roman Catholicism. Hitherto we have defended the 
principles of Protestantism, hereafter it may be desirable 
and profitable to investigate and to describe the features 
of Roman Catholicism. 

I am thankful also that an opportunity has been 
afforded me of proclaiming to such large numbers, both 
Protestant and Catholic, the saving doctrines of the 
Gospel. Oh ! my hearers, this glorious gospel of the 
blessed God is beyond all price. It stands out from 
every ecclesiastical system — it soars above creeds, 
formularies, liturgies, orders of ministers, churches, 
altars, vestments, relics, masses. "What are all these in 
comparison of the glorious system of saving truth % We 
acknowledge that there are spurious forms of Protest- 
antism, but real Protestantism goes forth amongst* 
the children of men and exclaims with Paul, " I deter- 
mine to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and 
him crucified." The boast and only boast of true 
Protestantism is, " I am not ashamed of the Gospel of 
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every 
one that believeth." If you ask me for a brief view of 
genuine Protestantism, my reply is : " God forbid that 
I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." If you demand from me an epitome of a 
Protestant's faith and experience, here it is : — 

" Could ray tears for ever flow, 
Could my zeal no languor know ; 
These for sin could not atone, 
Thou must save, and Thou alone, 
In my hand no price I bring, 
Simply to the Cross I cling." 



PROTESTANTISM. 



421 



My fellow-sinners, suffer me, before I take my leave, 
to remind you that we are all hastening towards the 
eternal world, and that we shall all have to stand before 
the judgment seat of Christ. At that judgment bar, it 
will not be demanded, are you Protestant or Catholic, 
but are you in Christ Jesus ? At that dread tribunal, 
we shall have to give an account of all that we have 
done in the body. I shall have to give account of 
what I have spoken to you in these lectures, and you 
will have to give account of what you have heard. 
You have been reminded of your sins ; has the view of 
them which you have obtained, humbled you before 
God ? You have been directed to the Saviour ; have 
you approached his cross for mercy ? You have been 
besought, by unnumbered arguments, to forsake the 
wickedness of your way; have you returned to the 
Lord who has promised to have mercy upon you and 
abundantly to pardon ? O come this evening to the 
altar of our common Christianity — the altar of prayer, 
the throne of grace ! Come ; though you feel yourself 
to be the chief of sinners : Come ; though your eyes 
be suffused with tears, and your heart be heavy with 
grief. Come through your only priest, the High Priest 
of our Christianity, Jesus Christ. Come, through the 
precious blood of his only sacrifice which speaks and 
pleads on your behalf before the throne of God. Come, 
for all things are now ready : — The Gospel is ready to 
instruct you ; the Holy Spirit is ready to influence your 
minds and enlighten your hearts : — the Saviour is now 
ready to save you. The Father is now ready to receive 



T 



422 



LECTURE X. 



his returning prodigal ; Angels are now ready to rejoice 
over your salvation ; 

"All heaven is ready to resound, 
The dead's alive, the lost is found." 

God bless you, my dear hearers ! On earth, we shall 
never all assemble together again. "When we next meet, 
it will be at the bar of the Eternal! May it be at the 
right hand of our glorious Judge ! And with this view 
let us cry to him in some such language as the follow- 
ing:— 

Jesus vouchsafe a pitying ray, 
Be Thou my Light, be thou my Way 

To glorious happiness ; 
Ah 1 write the pardon on my heart, 
And whensoe'r I hence depart, 

Let me depart in peace." 



AMEN, 



NOTE TO LECTURE X. 



Additional testimonies, by Roman Catholic authors, of the 
corruption of the Church of Rome previously to the Reformatiou. 

1. St. Elizabeth, the Virgin, of Germany. " These things saith 
the Lord to the prelates. ' The iniquity of the land, which ye 
have hidden, for the sake of silver and gold, ascends up before 
me like the smoke of a furnace. Are not the souls of whom you 
suffocate in eternal fire through your avarice, more precious 
than silver and gold ? Therefore your religion accuses you 
before me. For behold you have caused your holiness to stink 
in the sight of the people, and it is turned into an abomination 
to me.' " 

2. William of Paris — A monkish historian. " The clergy 
have neither piety nor learning, but rather the foul vices of 
devils, and the most monstrous uncleanness and crimes. Their 
sins are not mere sins, but rather the most prodigious and 
dreadful crimes. They are no Church ; but rather Babylon, 
Egypt, and Sodom. The Prelates, instead of building the 
Church, destroy it and make a mock of God." 

3. St. Catherine of Sienna. " In former times the clergy 
were moral and faithful, but in the present day they are 
wicked. And as formerly, the bad were rare, so now the good 
are seldom seen. Wherever you turn, you behold all the 
clergy, both secular and religious, prelates and those subject to 
them, small and great, old and young, infected with crime, 
pursuing riches and delights, neglecting the support of the 
poor and the care of souls, applying themselves to secular 
affairs, simoniacally selling the grace of the Holy Spirit, and 
mismanaging the affairs of the Church. "Woe to their wretched 
and unhappy life. That which Christ purchased with hia 



424 



LECTURE X. 



sufferings on the cross, they waste with harlots ; they corrupt 
souls redeemed with the blood of Christ. They nourish illegi- 
timate children with the patrimony of Christ." 

4. John Robitzana — Archbishop of Prague. " I openly 
declare that the Church of Rome is Western Babylon, and that 
the Pope is Anti-christ, who has overwhelmed the worship of 
God with a heap of superstitions. There are few priests 
followers of Christ ; and almost all of them are avaricious, 
proud, ambitious, hypocritical and idle. They preach lies for 
the truth, and surpass their people in wickedness, instead of 
being their guides in every kind of piety." 



BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 



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